Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon: Future
by Benit149
Summary: Set in the 30th century, Sailor Chibi-Moon and the Sailor Quartet must contend with a new enemy threatening Crystal Tokyo's peace. An unknown Sailor Soldier appears to slay some of these creatures, but she doesn't trust Chibi-Moon and her guardians. TEMP. HIATUS
1. Prologue: Au Revoir

**PRETTY SOLDIER SAILOR MOON: FUTURE**

**Prologue: Au Revoir**

The Milky Way Galaxy, home to the known solar system, was only one of thousands – perhaps millions – of star systems residing within the infinitely vast universe. The Milky Way was unique in that its center, Sagittarius Alpha Star, housed the epicenter of the universe – Sagittarius Zero Star, the location of the Galaxy Cauldron. This was where all life began and ended, for the Cauldron was responsible for creating Star Seeds that would be sent out to the millions of planets in the universe, as well as accepting them when they died. Special Star Seeds would evolve into Sailor Crystals, from which one would be sent to each planet to be reincarnated as the world's protector; a Sailor Soldier.

Unspeakable numbers of these Star Seeds and Sailor Crystals formed every known galaxy's planets and civilizations. One of these star systems resided thousands of light-years away from the Milky Way, yet could be considered a 'neighboring' galaxy. This was Alkima Galaxy, the birthplace of hundreds of planets residing in a star system that, if seen from far away, resembled a round bottom flask with swirling fluid within. Unlike the Milky Way and its select few planets and Sailor Soldiers, Alkima was extremely active with planetary warriors. For every world, either flourishing or decrepit, there was a civilization that a Sailor Soldier needed to protect.

If any evil invaders made attempts to conquer Alkima, they would face some of the heaviest resistance in the universe. Once an enemy was discovered, practically every Sailor Soldier would march forward to defeat it. This meant that a villain would have to be capable of fighting back hundreds of Sailor Soldiers at once. Not many could boast that kind of power, thus Alkima didn't have to worry too much about defending their home from evil.

The last known invader was Sailor Galaxia and her Shadow Galactica, who had destroyed a few planets in Alkima and recruited false Sailor Soldiers into her ranks. These Soldiers were once normal people who had actually killed the real Sailor Soldier and reaped their Sailor Crystals, giving them to Sailor Galaxia in exchange for the promise of receiving a real Sailor Crystal in the future; they made do with golden bracelets that granted them power comparable to a Sailor Soldier. Such stricken planets included Chuu, Mermaid, Coronis, Mau and Cocoon. Due to the threat of Alkima's Soldiers retaliating all at once, Galaxia had to make her invasion short before moving on to the Milky Way. She figured that once she had control of the Galaxy Cauldron, she could return and reap thousands of Sailor Crystals with her newfound power.

However, that never happened. Shadow Galactica was destroyed by the Milky Way's Sailor Soldiers. In Alkima, the fallen planets were mourned before those Star Seeds returned to the Galaxy Cauldron with the hope that they would be reborn in the far future. Afterwards, Alkima resumed its normal way of life.

Unfortunately, this galaxy's idea of a normal life was vastly different from the Milky Way's. Due to the huge influx of Sailor Soldiers and lack of villains for them to battle, this led to constant infighting. They always wanted to determine who Alkima's strongest Sailor Soldier was; whoever held this coveted title would win the right to call themselves the leader of the largest force of Sailor Soldiers ever seen. This was why wars were constant between Soldiers, especially those who had large civilizations and bountiful worlds to protect. They hoped to dominate such prosperous worlds, amalgamate them under their rule, and create large forces from which they could overthrow their rivals.

This was the way of life in Alkima. The Sailor Soldiers had forgotten their purpose and fought each other for the sake of dominance. No one knew what peace was anymore. They only understood battle, rivalry, corruption and antagonism. Worse was that no villain was responsible for this. Only the Sailor Soldiers had themselves to blame, if they even took the time to reflect on their folly.

There was one particular team of Soldiers that did think about it though. Unlike the strongest Soldiers who mindlessly fought each other, this team was made up of warriors from five of the most undesired planets in Alkima. For one reason or another, their planets were so feeble that the stronger Soldiers deemed them worthless and left them to die in favor of conquering more prosperous worlds. Even so, these five Soldiers were determined to protect their abandoned homes.

With this common goal, they banded together and formed a team called the Toxicum Sailor Soldiers. They worked as mercenaries, selling their skills to the highest bidder in exchange for much-needed resources that their worlds needed to survive. Their unpleasant title actually came from Sailor Soldiers that they had betrayed; they called these five warriors 'toxins that should not be trusted.' After all, they were only loyal to those who could give them what their planets needed to survive. If someone else came along and offered a better deal, the Toxicum Soldiers would switch sides immediately. Despite their poor reputation, their abilities in combat, subterfuge and assassination were highly valued.

At the moment, the Toxicum Soldiers were on one of the dying worlds; Kadmas, a planet covered with golden flowers and foliage that were rapidly absorbing nutrients from the soil like cancerous tumors, slowly killing the world. The only ones who could survive there were a race of bee people who harvested honey from the deadly flowers. The civilization managed to survive by selling this honey to other worlds, but that was the only resource the Kadmians could reasonably offer. Kadmas' grand palace where these people resided was more like a laboratory within a beehive-shaped facility. Inside this lab, the five Soldiers gazed upon a peculiar pod-like device resembling a translucent crystal cocoon.

"So this is the capsule?" the leader, a blue-haired Soldier, asked.

"We only have enough to make this one," Kadmas' resident Soldier replied. She was a short-statured blonde who wore a gold and grey Sailor uniform. "I wanted to make capsules for all of us, but we don't have the resources for that."

"So that means only one of us can go," the tallest Soldier coolly replied and folded her arms. She had curly lavender hair and wore a purple armored uniform with a mask that covered the lower half of her face.

"'Fraid so."

"So how are we going to figure out who to send?" a red-haired Soldier with fierce eyes wondered, clenching her large claw-like hand in determination. "If you guys want me to go, I'm all up for it."

"We need you here to help us face the battles ahead," the leader shook her head. "Naturally, I will be staying. I don't want to abandon Alkima in its greatest time of need."

"Neither do I," the purple Soldier murmured. "I'm not fond of traveling to places I'm not familiar with, even if it is where Sagittarius Alpha Star is located."

"I know how to operate the craft. Maybe I should go," the yellow Soldier replied.

The blue-garbed leader shook her head. "No. We need your intellectual prowess. No one is capable of hacking into computer systems like you are. This means that the only one of us who should go is…"

The four fell silent and glanced behind at their final member, who had been quiet this entire time. If the yellow Sailor Soldier was considered 'short', this girl was practically a dwarf in comparison. She had long chartreuse hair tied into a low rat tail-like ponytail with a large orange ribbon. She wore a full body grey-and-black uniform with the familiar sailor collar and a long pleated dress colored Paris green. She made no reply to her leader's surprising suggestion, remaining calm and poker-faced.

The purple lady nodded in agreement. "I concur. Her strategic ability and diplomatic fluency should be beneficial assets for negotiating with the Milky Way's Sailor Soldiers."

"Che," the red-haired girl muttered. "I would have wanted to go, but if you put it that way, I suck at being nice to strangers."

"Don't talk like that!" the blonde girl barked. "This mission will be vital for Alkima and the Milky Way's combined survival! We can't afford to make any mistakes with this decision!"

Their leader approached the silent green-haired girl and kneeled down to her height, resting her hand on her shoulder. "I know it looks like we're forcing this onto you, but it's still your decision. If you don't want to go, then I will. I'm just really worried about Alkima falling into a state of total anarchy, and I want to keep any semblance of order that I can. I'm sure you feel the same way, but it's also important for someone to go to the Milky Way and make contact with its Sailor Soldiers. If we can acquire their assistance, we can save Alkima from destruction. We have no time to think about it – it's either now or never. Will you undertake this mission for us?"

The younger Soldier didn't reply right away. The others couldn't judge what she was thinking since her dull expression remained statue still. Finally, she answered in a low mumble, "I'll go."

"Are you sure?"

"In exchange, please take care of my people for me, although I don't know how much longer that will last. There's less than a thousand left alive…"

"Don't worry!" the red Soldier exclaimed emphatically. "We'll make sure your world is safe while you're away! You just worry about meeting the Milky Way's Sailor Soldiers and bringing them here!"

"Do not let concerns of your home world distract you from your duty," the purple Soldier assured. "We will make sure it is well and alive when you return."

"If you insist," the green girl replied quietly, then approached the blonde Soldier and said, "I'm ready."

"Hold on a second! Aren't you going to say good-bye to your people first?"

"The sooner I finish this job, the sooner I can return. If anything, at least tell them 'sorry' on my behalf."

"Okay then…" the blonde frowned and opened the crystalline capsule while explaining, "This is a cryogenic pod that will keep you in a cold sleep until you reach the Milky Way. It'll feel chilly when you get inside, but the anesthesia will kick in a few minutes and you'll be out like a light. The coordinates have also been put in, so there's no need to worry about getting off track."

"Understood."

"You take care of yourself, you hear!?" the red Soldier exclaimed, holding back her choking. "If anything were to happen to you…!"

The purple-garbed lady added, "We have faith in you. Regardless of the outcome, please return to us safely."

The green Sailor Soldier positioned her body into a fetal position to fit within the pod. The others watched as the lid automatically closed shut and locked her in.

"T-minus one minute and counting!" the yellow Soldier exclaimed, monitoring the computer systems. "60… 59… 58…"

Whiffs of sleeping gas were pumped into the pod, causing the girl to pass out. Some liquid filled it up and submerged her, then was instantly frozen solid, making her look like she had been crystallized.

"35… 34… 33…"

The capsule rose up on a lifting launch pad as the ceiling broke open, revealing the starry night sky. The pod aimed higher and higher for the sky until it almost looked vertical.

"15… 14… 13…"

A pair of rockets gradually flared to life on the pod's backside, ready to propel its cargo into deep space. The other three Soldiers held each others' hands during these tense moments.

"5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Lift off!"

The capsule's booster rockets roared, suddenly sending it careening high into the air and guiding it through the stratosphere. Once the pod broke through Kadmas' gravitational field, the rockets disengaged themselves and allowed it to move forward on inertia. The green Sailor Soldier slept peacefully as she flew into the vast emptiness of space.

Back on Kadmas, the four remaining warriors watched their friend disappear, becoming little more than a green comet that shrunk with each passing second. The blue-leader watched it vanish into the incredible darkness, suddenly feeling very afraid and timid. She swallowed hard and meekly waved her hand.

"Good-bye… And… I'm sorry-!"

She crumpled onto the floor and sobbed uncontrollably. Her friends rushed to her side to console her. The emerald shooting star slowly faded into the distance, its trail vanishing without a trace.


	2. Chapter 1: Future Silver Millennium

**PRETTY SOLDIER SAILOR MOON: FUTURE**

**Chapter 1: ****Future Silver Millennium**

Crystal Tokyo, the capital of Earth in the 30th century. It was a city of wonder, magnificence, and fantasy come true. It resided in Japan where today's Tokyo was. Crystal Tokyo's epicenter had tall towers and buildings encased in clear diamond-like structures. Atop the tallest building was the Crystal Palace, a huge Victorian manor with crescent moon décor where the Royal Family ruled Earth from. This grand structure was within a huge pentagram formation that housed five Crystal Points, which could be used to erect defensive barriers if the palace was ever threatened. The rest of the city surrounding the main structure remained as normal as it did back in the 20th century.

Tokyo was preserved in crystal because Earth's king and queen, Endymion and Serenity, had lived here as normal people in the 20th century along with the Sailor Soldiers and their friends. They wanted to preserve the memories of their past lives while living in a world that they needed to rule and protect. They also wanted their daughter, Princess Small Lady Serenity, to experience the peace and kindness that her mother had enjoyed when she was the princess of the Moon Kingdom's long lost Silver Millennium. Crystal Tokyo was the solution to the royal couple's desires.

On this starry evening, a gold streak shot for the Crystal Palace from outer space. No one witnessed it, for everyone was within the grand halls celebrating the queen and princess' shared birthday. June 30 was a day that Crystal Tokyo's residents always looked forward to; it heralded the long-awaited summer months, and both mother and daughter could share this happiness together. They wanted all of their subjects to be a part of this odious occasion every year, and the parties always had different themes to keep things fun and interesting.

This year's theme was 'the Earth's yearly harvest'. Fruits and grains from every season were represented here. Long tables with silky white draperies and crystal glassware held trays upon trays of succulent dishes and artisan quality desserts, all themed after various harvested fruits and vegetables. Hundreds of guests could sample these culinary delights at their leisure, while waltz music played by a band of classical musicians guided partners to dance in tune. All of the solar system's Sailor Soldiers were there, as well as King Endymion's trusted Four Generals – the same ones who had defected to Queen Beryl centuries ago, now reincarnated to serve him once again.

At one of the tables, Small Lady daintily ate a strawberry custard tart she had picked out. Her four guardians, the Sailor Quartet, surrounded her as they tried various other desserts.

"This is so delicious!" Small Lady beamed. "I could eat a hundred of these!"

"Definitely!" Sailor Pallas, the immature blue-haired Quartet, agreed with her as she munched down pastry after pastry without much mind for manners. She choked a little from having too much food in her throat.

"Whoa, slow down!" Sailor Juno exclaimed, handing her sister a glass of water. "If you eat too much, you'll get sick! Wouldn't want you to lose any of Jupiter's cooking from an upset stomach, right?"

"Aaah… But it's so good!"

"Don't worry. We have all night," the oldest sister Sailor Ceres assured. "There's no need to rush in enjoying such delicacies."

"Meh," Sailor Vesta muttered sourly. "I'm not much for sweets. On the other hand, the spicy pork is absolutely killer! Plus it won't make you fat like these pastries will."

Pallas whined, "Are you calling me fat!?"

"No, but you will be if you keep this up."

"I have a second stomach reserved for candies and treats! I'll never get fat!"

"Don't be so overconfident. A woman should take care of herself first and foremost."

"But I'm not a woman yet, so I can have all the fun I want."

"Ugh, you're impossible," Vesta shook her head.

Small Lady giggled a little from the argument, then said to Ceres, "Thank you for organizing Mama and I's birthday party this year."

"Oh, no problem," the refined girl replied. "Although Jupiter and I had to pull it together at the last minute, no thanks to Venus tripping and fracturing her leg. The theme was my idea though, and Jupiter did a lot of the baking."

"I can tell. She's an amazing cook. Sir Nephrite must be so lucky to have her as his bride."

They glanced over at the dancing floor, where they found a suited man with wavy brown hair waltzing with a young woman in a green dress sporting brown hair and a ponytail. Small Lady added on the side, "I kind of feel bad for Sir Kunzite though. Venus means well, but she's a terrible cook."

"Sir Kunzite knows how to take care of himself," Ceres shrugged. "He isn't the leader of the Four Generals for nothing."

"Yeah, you're right."

"Oh, my. Speaking of male partners, is Helios going to show up this year?"

"Hmm…" Small Lady frowned. "I talked to him last night. He said he couldn't because there was 'something amiss that he could sense in the stars.' He's staying in Elysion to monitor it, but I'm not sure what he meant."

"I see. Well, there's nothing to be disappointed about. You two can see each other whenever you want."

"Of course," the princess smiled, thinking about the white-haired man whom she had fallen in love with.

The evening carried on like this, with fine dining, graceful dancing, soothing music and idle chatter helping to pass the night along. Soon it was approaching midnight and the festivities started to wind down. This was when the castle bakers wheeled out a grand tiered white cake with red roses and sugar ribbons decorating the otherwise plain confection. Atop the highest tier were a pair of large candies replicating the Royal Family's most treasured heirlooms; Neo Queen Serenity's Silver Crystal, and Small Lady's version of it called the Pink Moon Crystal.

King Endymion stood before the throne and raised a glass of red wine. He addressed the awestruck audience, "Ladies and gentlemen. As we shall soon be concluding the events of this fine evening, let us honor my wife and daughter's birthday with one last song wishing them yet another happiest birthday from all of us here. Sing with all your soul, and show them your appreciation for their everlasting kindness and friendship. I too shall demonstrate my love for both of them, now and forever."

Serenity and Small Lady held each other's hands as the crowd slowly assembled around them and the cake, preparing to sing 'Happy Birthday'. The lights dimmed down. Everyone took a collective deep breath… and then a piercing crash startled them.

Endymion called out to his Four Generals, "Someone turn the light back on!"

"Sir!" Kunzite, the general with long white hair, replied and returned the halls to brightness. Now that they could see again, they noticed one of the many window panes had been shattered, allowing the night breeze to flow in and flutter the curtains. Shards of glass peppered the floor. In the center of this mess was something really bizarre:

A golden apple.

It wasn't made of pure metal; it still was an edible piece of food. The gold-skinned fruit looked delicious enough to eat, as if it was beckoning the onlookers to have a taste of forbidden fruit. But no one dared to make a move in case it was some kind of weapon. Small Lady's curiosity took her over as she approached it.

"What is that?" she wondered. "Is it part of a show?"

"Not that I know of," Ceres replied.

Small Lady leaned in to get a closer look. The face of the apple suddenly warped, the dazzling skin peeling into brittle dark brown bits and the moist flesh undergoing a rapid browning process until the shape of a skull with a symbol on its forehead emerged. The skull-face didn't do anything; rather, it was an indication that this little piece of fruit was extremely malevolent. The mouth glowed as it readied an energy beam to strike the horrified princess down.

"Small Lady!" Sailor Pluto screamed, jumping in front of the child to defend her from the energy beam. It struck her back and sent the pair skidding across the polished floor. Many of the guests began to panic after the attack, scrambling around and yelling to get out of the palace.

"Are you all right, Pluto!?" Serenity called out as she rushed to them. Endymion ordered his generals to usher the crowd out of this sudden danger zone. They noticed that dark wisps emanated from the frightened courtiers, which were being sucked into the evil apple's mouth. Sinewy arms crept out of the apple's sides and crawled around like a centipede, scaring everyone even further and generating more energy for it to consume. It then shot another golden beam from its mouth, sweeping across the ceiling and causing the chandelier to fall, heading straight for Serenity, Small Lady and Pluto.

"**World Shaking!"** Sailor Uranus shouted, sending an orb of energy at the chandelier, shattering the crystal into thousands of pieces that rained all over the place. The four generals shielded the courtiers by expertly batting away the fragments with their swords. The monster continued mutating, now having grown an upper body with a ribcage, but no visible organs. By this time, Serenity's Sailor Soldiers were surrounding it.

"_**GWAAAHH!"**_ the mutating creature roared and floated into the air. It glared at the Sailor Soldiers with pure malice, but they remained determined to fight this monstrosity and protect the Royal Family. It lunged down with its bone-like claws at the warriors, intent on slashing them into meat ribbons.

The battle had begun.


	3. Chapter 2: Apfelshuss

**PRETTY SOLDIER SAILOR MOON: FUTURE**

**Chapter 2: Apfelschuss**

Sailor Mars initiated the fight by yelling, **"Burning Mandala!"** She created eight rings of searing fire and sent them flying at the monster, slicing through its skin in bloody spurts. The mandalas did do some damage, but mostly caused it to be distracted from the Royal Family as the trio fled for safety upstairs, protected by the Sailor Quartet should something happen. Sailor Jupiter likewise wanted to injure this hideous apparition, so she raised her arms and created a small cyclone that billowed her hair, ribbons and skirt.

"**Jupiter Coconut Cyclone!"** she exclaimed, and a small lightning rod extended from the green jewel on her tiara. Electricity sparked around her and transferred to the cyclone. She commanded the supercharged winds to whirl around the enemy. It howled as piercing sparks tore through its body and ripped off bits of flesh. It was more resilient than they imagined however, and it recovered before raising one of its clawed hands to strike Jupiter down.

"**Venus Love Me Chain!"** Sailor Venus called out, throwing a long chain of glowing orange hearts at the monster's arm, ensnaring it like a whip and preventing it from clawing Jupiter. It roared in annoyance and used its strength to hurl her around with the whip and toss her at the nearest wall. Her body painfully cratered the drywall and she slumped into a heap. It focused on the weakened warrior, wanting to use this opportunity to kill her while she couldn't counter.

Sailor Mercury dashed toward Venus while yelling, **"Shabon Spray!"** A flurry of bubbles flew out of her outstretched hand and popped, blinding the enemy with thick fog. Sailor Jupiter's silhouette could be seen helping Venus get away from the immediate area. The irate monster growled as it struggled to stave off the mist and regain its vision.

Sailor Saturn readied her scythe-like spear, the Silence Glaive, in a thrusting position and shot it forth after exclaiming, **"Silence Buster!"** An energy bolt surrounded by twin spirals twirled in the air and struck right at the creature's shoulder joint, violently severing that arm from its body. Despite being so viciously amputated, it only seemed to grow angrier. It reached out with its remaining hand and grabbed Saturn, then pounded her into the ground and pressed its weight upon her.

"**Dead Scream,"** Sailor Pluto whispered, sending a violet orb of energy from her Time Staff at the monster's face, blowing it back and freeing Saturn. She grabbed her Silence Glaive and jumped away with a back flip.

Sailor Neptune raised her Deep Aqua Mirror, a hand mirror emblazoned with the Neptune sigil, and intoned, **"Submarine Reflection!"** A glittering wave of light engulfed the enemy, but it wasn't an attack. Rather, it was a harmless aura that washed over her target and caused its weakness to reveal itself to her. In this case, the golden skull-faced apple hidden upon the creature's epiglottis - protected by rows of disjointed and very sharp teeth - shone aqua for a few moments before returning to normal.

"Just as I thought," Neptune said. "That apple is the cause of all of this. The longer we allow it to consume energy, the stronger the monster will become."

"And here I was about to have some of your blue ribbon apple pie," Sailor Uranus joked to her lover.

"Oh, my. Are you saying you won't eat it after we win this fight?"

"On the contrary. I'll have worked up enough of an appetite to devour every apple I see."

After teasing Neptune, Uranus brought forth her jeweled short sword, the Space Sword, and slashed into the air as she called out, **"Space Sword Blaster!"** Several orange-colored energy slashes charged straight for the enemy's teeth, shattering them into fragments and causing it to roar in agony. The evil apple glowed and regenerated more teeth to shield itself from further attacks.

"Damn it," Uranus cursed. "I can get rid of the teeth, but someone else needs to take care of the core."

"Leave it to me!" Sailor Mars replied. "Strike it again and I'll shoot it down!"

Although the Sailor Soldiers had a solid strategy, the beast wouldn't give them the chance to use it. It opted to remain on the move, spurting insectoid legs and leaping onto the palace walls. It crawled around the warriors rapidly and they had a hard time keeping up with it. Using a singular attack would be impossible.

"**Jupiter Oak Evolution!"** Sailor Jupiter used her all-encompassing attack, twirling on her toes and sending spheres of green electricity everywhere. One orb struck its back and shocked it, causing temporary paralysis.

A few droplets of water turned into freezing crystals that swirled around Sailor Mercury, solidifying into ice cold water that she threw at the walls after chanting, **"Shine Aqua Illusion!"** She used the water to create ice on the walls, causing the creature to lose its grip and slide back to the ground. Sailor Saturn ran as fast as she could toward it and leapt high into the air, pointing the Silence Glaive down to its back where she assumed the golden apple was. The enemy caught on to the tactic and scurried away, leaving the surprised Saturn to lance nothing as she landed.

"This foe isn't just gaining power; its intelligence is increasing as well!" Sailor Pluto clenched her teeth. "I've never seen an ordinary youma evolve so quickly!"

"Stop being so impressed and help us!" Sailor Venus snapped.

During the battle, the Royal Family had retreated to the ascending staircase and watched from the second floor. Neo Queen Serenity gasped, amazed that this intruder was powerful enough to cause her eight guardians so much trouble. She needed to do something to end this quickly. She held her hands over her chest and concentrated until a silver lotus-shaped crystal emerged in her palms.

"Serenity!" Endymion urged, grabbing her from behind. "Don't use the Silver Crystal!"

"But at this rate, someone will be killed!" his wife pleaded.

They heard Sailor Saturn's voice from below as she called out to them, "Don't you trust us, Your Highness!? We'll defeat it no matter what it takes!"

"But I don't want anyone to die!"

"Don't worry! We have it on the ropes! It won't get away from us now!"

"She's right," the king assured. "Have faith in them."

Small Lady watched her mother tremble helplessly as she put the Silver Crystal away. She returned her attention to the fight as Sailor Venus shouted, **"Love and Beauty Shock!"** She sent a golden spinning heart straight for the creature as it rushed upon her. It didn't anticipate the stunning power of this little heart as it exploded against the teeth and shattered them once again. Its head snapped back as it was stunned for a few precious moments.

"Finally!" Sailor Mars cheered, having waited for her chance this entire time. Flames tickled around her as she began to chant, **"Mars Flame-!"**

She didn't get to finish. The beast, seemingly unfazed by Venus' attack, jumped over her in an arc while instantaneously regenerating its teeth, much faster than earlier. The panic and desperation the apple absorbed while fighting the Sailor Soldiers had caused it to become as powerful as a lesser villain. The monster landed right in front of Mars, inches away from her face, and opened its jaws. Its intent was to chew the stunned warrior in half before she had a chance to attack.

"_**Sailor Mars!"**_ Serenity and Small Lady shrieked simultaneously. The other Sailor Soldiers scrambled to counter before it could kill their ally, but it could be too late.

Mars froze in place, her eyes transfixed on the demonic skull-faced apple as it seemed to silently laugh at her impending demise. Suddenly, something exploded through the other side of the evil fruit, causing bits of flesh to burst and splatter over the stunned Soldier's face and the floor. It turned out to be the head of a silver arrow fired from afar, piercing through the beast's back and into the apple.

The palace halls fell silent for a few moments as everyone gaped at the spectacle. The creature finally collapsed onto its side and the apple was split clean open. The arrow clattered to the ground with a metallic clang. The fruit then dissolved into mush, the monster's limbs turned into powder, and all of the negative energy it fed on dispersed. Soon, the beast that assaulted the Sailor Soldiers dissipated into dust, as if nothing ever happened.

With the monster dead, the Sailor Soldiers could begin to piece together what just happened. All they understood was that it managed to bypass the palace's top-notch security, transform into a malevolent creature by feeding off the negative energy of panicking people, and was slain by an arrow cleaving the golden apple core. It seemed like such an obvious solution, but the creature had proven to be a much greater threat than anything they had encountered thus far. Combating it head on had proven to be futile; it required a sneak attack to take it down.

Mars collapsed onto her buttocks in relief. Sailor Mercury kneeled next to her friend and asked, "Are you okay!?"

"Somehow…"

"You weren't able to pull off your Mars Flame Sniper, weren't you?"

"No. It was the perfect chance, but…"

"Then who was it?" Jupiter narrowed her eyes, glaring at the silver arrow.

Sailor Pluto noticed the direction the arrow had been fired and followed her eyes along its trajectory. She found a person standing atop the grand statue of Neo Queen Serenity near the entrance, perfectly poised in a shooting pose upon the effigy's smooth shoulder.

"There's someone there!" she shouted, pointing her Time Staff to the figure to direct the others' gazes.


	4. Chapter 3: Shadow Galactica's Shadow?

**PRETTY SOLDIER SAILOR MOON: FUTURE**

**Chapter 3: Shadow Galactica's Shadow?**

No one could tell what this person looked like, but there were a few features they could make out such as it being a female with long green hair done in a low ponytail and a low cut dress. She lowered an ornate archer's bow after confirming the shot had hit its mark, her expression dull yet calm.

Sailor Uranus demanded in her loudest voice, "Who are you!?"

The archer didn't answer. Her eyes panned the area until she met the Royal Family's eyes. Serenity and Endymion stood in front of their daughter and the Sailor Quartet surrounded them as a protective barrier. The unknown Sailor Soldier asked aloud, her voice soothing yet bitter, "Might you be the legendary Sailor Soldiers that defeated Galaxia?"

"Galaxia?" Serenity frowned nervously. It had been a long time since she heard that name.

"Do you know of Sailor Galaxia and her Shadow Galactica?" Sailor Pluto asked calmly, trying to be the voice of reason in this mass confusion.

"I believe I asked a question first. Are you the ones who defeated her?" the archer repeated with a cross tone in her voice.

Serenity replied, "Yes. I confronted her at the Galaxy Cauldron, and…" She stopped. The memories of losing so many important people – the isolation of fighting such a terrible battle alone - caused her to tear up a little. Endymion held her shoulder to console her.

"So you're the legend in flesh. Yet you and your guardians had great difficulty against that creature. Maybe it's true that legends are more disappointing when you meet them in person."

"Who are you to talk like that!?" Sailor Mars barked, angry that this stranger was verbally bashing her best friend. Despite nearly getting killed, she wasn't going to tolerate any sort of bullying against Serenity. She channeled her power and created a Mars Flame Sniper for real, calling out, "Come down this instant or else!"

"Or else… what?"

"I'll shoot!"

"Mars, please calm down!" Mercury tried to plead. "She won't answer our questions if we talk to her like that!"

"I'm not interested in listening to someone who shows up from out of nowhere and calls us failures!"

The girl muttered, "How unbelievably petty. Are simple squabbles the worst that this planet's Sailor Soldiers have resolved? I find it difficult to fathom that you lot were capable of defeating Galaxia."

Mars' patience was at its end. She and the unknown archer stared at each other intensely, readying their respective bow and arrows. Meanwhile, Sailor Neptune carefully examined the arrow that had killed the monster earlier. She used her Deep Aqua Mirror to perform the examination, looking for any special properties or powers. Suddenly, her eyes widened with shock.

"Stop, Mars!" Mercury pleaded.

"**Mars Flame Sniper!"**

Sailor Mars sent her fiery arrow flying up at the exact time the unknown Soldier fired down silently. The two projectiles were on a direct collision course…

"**Silent Wall!"**

In an instant, Sailor Saturn's invisible barrier broke the flaming arrow into pure flames that engulfed the air, while the mystery girl's arrow struck seemingly nothing and clattered to the floor. When the fire died down, Mars, Mercury and Saturn looked back up to find the girl gone.

"Damn it! You two, come with me! We need to find her quickly!" Uranus told Jupiter and Venus, and the three Soldiers took chase.

Meanwhile, Mars exclaimed to Saturn, "Why did you do that!?"

"It was extremely dangerous. Neptune told me to protect you from that shot."

"Wha-? Why?"

Neptune gestured to the arrow's tip and noted direly, "It's poisoned."

Mars' face blanched with shock. "No way…"

"Even if your shot hit her, her counterattack would have likely killed you," Sailor Pluto added gravely. "If she is indeed a Sailor Soldier, she is not one who fights in all fairness."

"May I see that arrow? I would like to study it further," Mercury requested, and Neptune gave it to her.

As the Sailor Soldiers scrambled around trying to piece this puzzle together, Serenity kneeled beside Small Lady and asked, "Are you unhurt?"

"I'm okay, Mama. But who was that girl, and how did she know about Galaxia?"

"We can't say for sure," Endymion replied. "But didn't she look like one of the Sailor Animamates that you had to fight when Shadow Galactica invaded?"

"You're right," Serenity murmured, recalling the vicious false Sailor Soldiers who had killed her friends one by one. "Might she be a stray seeking revenge?"

"Shadow Galactica was destroyed 1000 years ago. I sincerely doubt someone would be able to hold a grudge for that long. In my opinion, she and that creature might be small parts of a new threat."

Small Lady chimed, "Mama, Papa, I want to find out who she is. I wanted to thank her for helping us stop that creature, but she almost killed Mars… At the very least, I want to try talking to her."

Her parents paused, wondering what to do. Whenever Small Lady was insistent upon something, it was very difficult to stop her even with their authority as royalty and parents. It was at this time that Sailors Uranus, Jupiter and Venus returned, their faces flush from having done so much running.

"It was no good," Jupiter admitted. "We couldn't find her anywhere in the palace grounds."

"It's safe to assume she's fled to the city," Uranus surmised.

"Ugh! If I had her in my sight even a little bit, I would have caught her easily!" Venus punched her palm enthusiastically. "How did she manage to sneak into the palace without alerting the guards!?"

Jupiter glowered, "We obviously need to beef up security around the palace. But that means we wouldn't be able to go into Tokyo to look for the girl."

Serenity stood back up and did a little more thinking. She then told Small Lady, "If Uranus is right, then perhaps you should go into the city and try to look for her."

"Really!?"

"But not alone, of course." The queen addressed the Sailor Quartet. "I want you four to go with her and protect her from the mystery girl, as well as defeat any more of those monsters that might show up. Try to find out as much as you can without provoking her. I don't need to remind you what Pluto said. Use extreme caution."

"You can count on us, Your Highness!" Sailor Juno clenched her fist and smirked.

Sailor Ceres asked, "What would you have us do if we confront the girl?"

"If you can befriend her, please do. If she is fighting a common enemy, I don't want her to feel isolated from all of us being suspicious of her. Try to give her all the support you can, and let her know that we are on her side. She should also understand that we will not tolerate attacks against our friends."

"If she is truly with the enemy," Endymion intoned, "then please deal with her appropriately."

"Sounds fair enough," Ceres nodded. "Then we'll take our leave."


	5. Chapter 4: Lost in Home Territory

**PRETTY SOLDIER SAILOR MOON: FUTURE**

**Chapter 4: Lost in Home Territory**

A few days after the attack on the Crystal Palace, Small Lady and the Sailor Quartet got ready to head into Tokyo as normal citizens. They had to make sure everything was ready before descending the many elevators that guided them back to the surface. Once they were ready, the five girls approached the palace's elevator while Serenity, Endymion and the eight Sailor Soldiers watched on. The princess had changed out of her frilly pink dress, now wearing a blue and white Japanese school uniform with a red bow. The Sailor Quartet wore t-shirts in their respective colors and white shorts.

"Okay, we're off!" Small Lady waved to the crowd.

"You take care of yourself. Don't eat too many sweets, do your homework, and be sure to brush your teeth before going to bed. That goes for you too, Pallas," Serenity said.

"Aww, that's no fun!" Sailor Pallas groaned.

Small Lady sighed a bit. "Geez, you don't need to nag me, Mama. I'm not like you when you were younger."

Although her mother looked a little miffed, they shared a good chuckle at her expense. Endymion told the Sailor Quartet, "Be sure to keep her safe. We don't know what to expect from that girl or the new enemies."

"Yes, sir! Nothing will get past us!" Sailor Vesta saluted. "Let us know if you guys find out anything interesting! We'll be sure to do the same!"

"Ah, speaking of which," Sailor Mercury chimed in, walking towards Small Lady while holding an odd toy shaped like a smiling black cat's face with blue eyes, a crescent moon on its forehead and an antenna. "I've upgraded Luna-P for you. You can contact the palace and speak with someone here from anywhere in Tokyo. If no one is here to take your message, you can leave a video message and we'll get back to you as soon as we can. We can also reach you with Luna-P if we have any new information. It won't work outside the city, so try not to leave if you can."

"Thanks!" Small Lady accepted the doll and held it closely. She told the Sailor Quartet, "Let's get going then!"

They waved to the group one more time before the elevator doors closed and the platform descended. The girls watched the numerous crystals surrounding Crystal Tokyo rise higher and higher as they gradually reached the next elevator. This complex series of descending elevators continued for another 15 minutes.

While some of the girls marveled in the sight of Tokyo from so far above, Pallas yawned after a while and complained, "This is getting boring. Do we have to do this every time we need to go to the palace?"

"Don't whine, PallaPalla. Just think of this as a chance to take in the sights," Juno grumbled, addressing her sister by her civilian name.

While in Tokyo, Small Lady Serenity would go by the name she used when she traveled back to the 20th century; Tsukino Usagi, but since it was the exact same name as her mother's, she used Chibi-Usa ("Small Usagi") to differentiate herself. The Sailor Quartet chose to masquerade as the Yoeda sisters who had recently moved to Tokyo from the jungles of South America in order to receive top-quality education. Ceres went by CereCere, Juno as JunJun, Vesta was VesVes, and obviously, Pallas was PallaPalla. Those names would certainly raise a few eyebrows, but who could do anything about it? They liked them, and that was all that mattered.

Chibi-Usa pressed her hands against the glass and watched in awe as they descended. "It's been a long time since I was in Tokyo. I just know everything will feel so nostalgic when we get there."

"Don't forget, though," CereCere reminded her, "that most of Japan's citizens don't know what the Royal Family looks like. It would cause a lot of trouble for us if everyone knew the princess was mingling among them."

"Of course I'll be careful."

"Hmm… The only memories I have of the city are when we worked for Nehelenia. After that, we resumed our slumber…" VesVes murmured, thinking back to when the Sailor Quartet had been prematurely awakened and brainwashed by the Dead Moon Circus's evil queen, forced to serve her and fight against Sailor Moon and her team. The other Sailor Soldiers held no grudge against the Quartet for their involvement in Nehelenia's plans, but the four sometimes felt bothered by it.

Chibi-Usa convinced her by saying, "I'll show you around once we get settled in our apartment. I promise that you'll find something you'll like!"

Once they exited the halls of Crystal Tokyo's main administrative offices in Azabu-Juuban, she unfurled a map and squinted to figure out which streets they were supposed to take. "Hmmm, this is so hard to read… Which way is the Chuo district?"

"Isn't it west of Azabu?" JunJun muttered perplexedly.

"You're totally helpless without me," CereCere groaned haughtily. "Chuo is due northeast from our current position. We're supposed to go to the apartment complexes in Ginza and have a look around. My, my, and Ginza is supposed to be the most glamorous district in all of Tokyo. With Serenity covering all of our expenses, this is like a dream come true!"

JunJun ignored her sister's daydreaming and grumbled, "And which way is east?"

"Are you an idiot!? East is that way!"

CereCere pointed in a particular direction, but because it was exactly noon on a bright and sunny day, no one could be sure if she was correct.

"Is that so? Then I say east is this way!" JunJun argued, pointing to the opposite direction.

VesVes shook her head. "Nuh uh! East is over there!" She directed her hand to a third random direction.

PallaPalla found this squabble entertaining and exclaimed, "That way!" She just wanted to complete the cardinal directions by going the opposite of VesVes' way. Chibi-Usa moaned in frustration and begged, "Can we _please_ take this seriously? I wanna find a place to stay before it gets dark."

"But we are! And I know I'm right! The rising sun always comes from that way!" CereCere argued.

"Really? I thought it was this way," JunJun raised an eyebrow.

"That's because you fell asleep upside-down last night!"

"Hee hee, JunJun slept on her head!" PallaPalla giggled.

VesVes crossed her arms and joked, "I can totally see her doing that."

"Hey, knock it off already!" JunJun yelped.

Chibi-Usa had lost her patience with them. "Geez! I've had enough of this! I'm gonna go ask someone!"

She ran onto the sidewalk and looked around for anyone to flag down. She spotted a girl around her age and height with long green hair done in a low ponytail. She wore a white sundress with a pine green denim vest and sandals, carrying several shopping bags full of merchandise over her shoulder.

"Excuse me!" Chibi-Usa asked. "Can you tell us how to get to Ginza?"

The girl looked bemused as she watched the four sisters arguing and Chibi-Usa feeling overwhelmed. She suggested, "Why not just hail a sky cab?"

"Oh!" the pink-haired child gasped. Why hadn't she thought of that? The immediate area around Crystal Tokyo boasted some of the world's greatest technological advances that traveling the condensed city was a lot easier in the 30th century. She must have spent so much time in the Victorian-era castle that she had forgotten about the clamor of normal life. "I guess we could do that. I just thought it would be close enough for us to walk."

"I suppose."

Just then, the sisters barged behind Chibi-Usa and glared at the girl straight in the face, shouting together, "You there!"

She looked a little miffed from their rudeness. "Yes, I'm here. What do you want?"

"You look smart! Help us settle this once and for all! Which way is east!?" VesVes demanded.

"Is _that_ what you were arguing about? Why couldn't you have just waited fifteen minutes?"

"Why wait when we can get moving now!?"

"The short time spent on plans will save an exponential amount of frustration."

"Like I care! I prefer being spontaneous!"

"Fine. Whatever works for you."

The stranger looked up at a nearby digital clock that read 12:18 PM. "I suppose enough time has passed," she murmured, then looked at the ground while standing perfectly still. She was trying to be a human sundial, which allowed her to reach a quick answer. She pointed in the proper direction and explained, "Since the sun is in the process of setting westbound, that means this is east."

The other girls looked shocked as they glanced at PallaPalla. She cheered, "Yay, I was right! I was only guessing too!"

"Damn it! No fair!" JunJun cursed. "Okay then, how do you tell north from south!?"

"You're kidding, right? If you're heading for Ginza, there should be plenty of signs to direct you," the stranger huffed. "Seriously, you could have reached your destination in the span it's taken you to waste my time. Just as I said, your poor planning is costing me valuable seconds."

"Argh! Just because you're smart doesn't mean you get to mouth off at us!"

"Maybe I'm intelligent, or maybe it's just common sense. I couldn't tell you for sure. What I _am_ is extremely busy. May I continue with my errands now?"

"Yes, you may! I'm so sorry!" Chibi-Usa hastily interfered. "Thank you so much for your help! We'll take it from here! Come on, you guys!"

She pushed the bickering sisters down the sidewalk in the proper direction with Luna-P floating behind its owner. The irritated girl watched them leave before adjusting the bags draped on her shoulder. She craned her head high up until she could see the precipice of Crystal Tokyo shining against the afternoon sun.

She whispered under her breath, "So that was the princess and her guardians. If that's how they behave normally, I'm almost afraid to meet them as Sailor Soldiers…"


	6. Chapter 5: Chaos in Pedestrian Heaven

**PRETTY SOLDIER SAILOR MOON: FUTURE**

**Chapter 5: Chaos in Pedestrian Heaven**

Chibi-Usa and the Yoeda sisters found their way to Ginza after asking other pedestrians for help and following the curt girl's advice to look for signs. Once there, they went to an apartment that King Endymion managed to secure a room for them to stay in. They had to do everything in their power to keep the bedazzled CereCere on track lest she get lost in a surprise shopping splurge within one of Japan's most upscale districts. They kept her under control enough as they found the apartment and spoke with the landlady, getting set up to stay as tenants.

Once all of that was done, the girls found their room. Chibi-Usa unlocked the door and entered first, finding a spacious flat that overlooked Ginza. There was a small kitchen, a dining table, a couple of sofas, two televisions, and a separate room with multiple beds. It was a far cry from the Crystal Palace's luxurious chambers, but none of the girls were too demanding about their living quarters.

CereCere rushed up to the panoramic windows and gasped, "This is amazing! I feel like a queen watching over her subjects as they hurry along their day…"

"Incredible! I love this place! I get to run around and play all I want!" PallaPalla cheered while darting about in the recreation space.

"Ah! They even have a pool table! I'm up for a game later," VesVes nudged JunJun's arm.

"Fine, but I'm starving! Is there anything to eat here?" the green-haired sibling groaned while scouring the pantry. Even though the room was well furnished, she discovered that there was a bothersome lack of food. There was only cereal, some bottled water, milk and ground coffee.

PallaPalla called out, "I want cereal! With lots and lots of sugar!"

"Me too!" Chibi-Usa added.

"Damn it," JunJun swore. "There's no sugar here."

"Ugh, that won't do," CereCere scoffed. "I don't mind drinking coffee, but it has to have sugar in it. The landlady should have told us that the kitchen was poorly stocked. I'll have to file a complaint later."

Chibi-Usa and PallaPalla banged their fists against the table while chanting, "Sugar! Sugar! Sugar!"

"All right, all right! Man, you guys are helpless when it comes to sweets," JunJun smacked her forehead, leaving the cacophony behind to find the next room over. She read the sign next to the door denoting the resident's last name. This room belonged to someone named 'Inuken'. She rang the doorbell and yelled, "Sorry to bother you! I was wondering if you had any sugar we could borrow!"

After a few moments, she heard the door being unlocked from inside, and someone's head poked through the crack. JunJun couldn't believe it; the person was none other than the green-haired girl who had so rudely given the girls directions earlier that afternoon!

"What the-!? It's you! You live here!?"

"Of course I do. Is something wrong with that?" the blunt-mannered tenant muttered.

"No, not at all. I was just surprised, that's all," JunJun chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry about that. We just moved in and we're a little low on some supplies. Could you help us out a little…? Ah, I should've asked for your name first! Damn, my manners are getting sloppy! I'm Yoeda JunJun, the third of four sisters."

The girl shook JunJun's hand. "Inuken Midori. I just moved here a few days ago."

"What a coincidence, man! Chibi-Usa's gonna be ecstatic when she finds out! Oh, but first-"

"Some sundries, correct? Give me a moment."

JunJun waited for a few minutes as Midori went back into her apartment. She returned to the hallway with some small bags of food and condiments. "These are some extras I mistakenly purchased. This should sustain you until you can do some proper shopping."

"Thanks. I feel kind of bad for bothering you so much."

"It isn't as bad as the noise I've been hearing. What in the world is going on in there, World War III?"

"Aw man, how embarrassing… How 'bout I bring you over and make them apologize for disturbing you. It's the least I can do."

"That sounds good. It would be prudent of me to lay down a few guidelines so as not to cause further incidents. Which room are you in?"

JunJun led Midori down to her flat and they entered. The others continued moaning and pacing around impatiently as their stomachs growled. Once the duo entered however, all eyes were fixed on Midori.

"Ah-!" Chibi-Usa gasped, recognizing her.

"Well I'll be!" CereCere widened her eyes. "It certainly is a small world."

"Yeah! Midori here managed to salvage what she could for us! But she wants to talk to us about noise control," JunJun frowned.

"Indeed," Midori crossed her arms, tossing her rations on the table as she went into a lecture about the landlady's rules, her respect for privacy, how she was extremely sensitive to disturbances, and so on. The other girls munched on some cookies and cereal while boredly listening to her. After she was done, Midori demanded, "Did you understand all of that?"

PallaPalla ignored her and whined, "I'm still hungry…"

"Yeah, enough with the preaching already. Isn't there something else we can eat?" VesVes asked.

"I suppose it's my fault for expecting you to learn anything on an empty stomach," Midori groaned.

"Then let's go out for dinner tonight!" Chibi-Usa suggested. "You can come along too, Midori. That is, if you're not too busy or anything…"

"How considerate. I was catching up on my cram school studies, but it wouldn't hurt to accept your invitation. The landlady has often badgered me about not getting out enough."

"You go to cram school?"

"Mainly for supplementary learning. Japan's standardized education system doesn't offer enough to stimulate my desire to learn. I could go into more detail, but I feel you've all heard enough from me for one night."

"No kidding," VesVes huffed. "Let's get going already! I want to murder a steak or something!"

* * *

At around 4 PM, the group of six girls exited the Printemps department store (now much grander than it was in the 20th century), having eaten a large curry dinner at Yamituki. Midori took the time to explain how Ginza was laid out and where the others could go look for groceries tomorrow. Now that their hunger was satisfied, they headed out into the streets and started to walk back home. During this time on the weekends, Ginza was notorious for banning traffic on the streets, allowing pedestrians to amble about without worry of being run over. This short timeframe came to be known as 'pedestrian heaven'.

"Wow… This is just too much for my little heart to take," CereCere crooned in delight, marveling at the tall buildings advertising high fashion items. Crystal Tokyo loomed in the distance, only adding to Ginza's majesty.

"Don't gawk too much. You'll look like an idiot to the locals," VesVes joked.

"Hmph. They should be proud that I appreciate the beauty of Ginza."

"Whatever. If it wasn't for the awesome eats, this place would be too stuffy for me."

At the same time, Chibi-Usa asked Midori, "So why are you staying alone in such an upscale apartment? Do you have any family?"

"My parents are members of politics in Osaka, but I wished to find my own path in life outside of politics. So they agreed to send me to Tokyo and attend school here in the hope of forging my own success story rather than riding on their coattails. Even so, they insist upon me staying in luxury homes, eating fine food and living the life of a rich, spoiled daughter. I sometimes wonder if they're more concerned for my future or for their own image."

Chibi-Usa paused, trying to think of a way to change the subject. She uttered, "I never would have guessed you were from Osaka. You don't have their accent."

"It's a stereotype to think that every Osakan uses the Kansai dialect. I prefer to speak the standard language rather than be so laid back and gruff."

"I see. I'd like to visit Osaka one of these days."

"You should first get adjusted to Tokyo before venturing into other regions. While seeking knowledge is good, trying to take in too much at once is unwise."

"I know. Slow and steady, right?"

The girls chatted amongst themselves as they got to know each other better. The crowds on the streets of Ginza were starting to thin out as the 5 PM time limit would soon reopen the roads to vehicles. Everyone knew thanks to the iconic clock that towered above the Wako department store, a landmark of Ginza that endured over the last thousand years. PallaPalla got bored for a moment and glanced at the clock to see what the actual time was. That was when she noticed something gold streaking towards the fixture.

"Hey, guys! I just saw something pretty near the clock!" she exclaimed.

"Like what?" VesVes asked.

"Some gold, shiny streak! Maybe it's a shooting star!"

Midori grew alarmed – she knew exactly what it was. But she had to keep herself under control so the others wouldn't find her suspicious. She muttered, "We're in the middle of the afternoon. No one should be able to see shooting stars at this time."

"But I saw it! I really did!" PallaPalla insisted, pointing upwards.

Before they could argue further, a golden light shone behind the clock. Now everyone's attention was fixed on it as the glow grew brighter. The girls noticed some vines wrapping around it… and then ripping the clock right out of the concrete and fusing with it to create an apple-shaped clock monster! Women shrieked and men howled in shock. Everyone turned around and ran. Debris rained upon them, and some children nearby narrowly avoided being crushed by some rocks.

"_**GWOOOOO!"**_ the monster roared, frightening the crowd even more. Grey wisps of negative energy could be seen emanating from the people, slowly being sucked into the monster's center. It jumped high and landed on the empty streets, intent on causing more destruction. The six girls shouted in surprise, startled by the monster's crash landing and the flurry of people rushing past them.

Chibi-Usa and the four sisters glanced at each other, silently telling each other to transform into their Sailor Soldier counterparts. Unfortunately, they couldn't risk revealing themselves to Midori. They had to remove her from the scene somehow. Chibi-Usa implored to Midori, "We're going to go find the nearest police box! You should evacuate with everyone else!"

"Wouldn't it be safer for all of us to stay together?"

"Just go already! We can take care of things here! I just don't want to see you getting hurt!"

"… All right then. Make sure you escape unharmed as well."


	7. Chapter 6: Earth's Newest Protectors

**PRETTY SOLDIER SAILOR MOON: FUTURE**

**Chapter 6: Earth's Newest Protectors**

After Midori fled the scene at Chibi-Usa's insistence, the others went inside an abandoned shop to transform.

"**Ceres Quartet Power, Make Up!"**

"**Pallas Quartet Power, Make Up!"**

"**Juno Quartet Power, Make Up!"**

"**Vesta Quartet Power, Make Up!"**

The Yoeda sisters transformed into the Sailor Quartet. Their street clothes vanished and were replaced with the iconic uniforms. Their sequences were incredibly similar, the main differences being their theme colors and their respective powers coming into play. Once they were all done, they posed in front of their respective sigils.

Chibi-Usa was the last to morph into her Sailor Soldier identity, yelling out, **"Pink Moon Crystal Power, Make Up!"**

Her double hair buns sparkled as hair decorations flickered in place. Her clothes disappeared as rose pink ribbons surrounded her and changed into the standard Sailor Soldier uniform. The ribbons created knee length boots over her legs, elbow length gloves around her arms, and finally wrapped into a bow on her breast like she was a pretty pink package. She likewise finished with a striking pose.

While they had been transforming, the monster continued its rampage in total ignorance. Chibi-Usa called out to it in her loudest voice, _"Stop right there!"_

"Bwuh?" the creature grumbled and turned around, finding the five Sailor Soldiers lined up behind it.

"You have some nerve transforming the icon of Ginza into a tool of destruction! The silver miners of old may forgive you, but we won't! I am the Sailor Soldier of Love and Justice!"

She raised her hand and posed with her arms.

"Sailor Chibi-Moon!"

She then performed peculiar movements with her arms and hands, pointing at her foe and boldly declaring, "In the name of the Moon…"

The Sailor Quartet mimicked her actions and shouted with her, _**"We'll punish you!"**_

The monster just watched the spectacle… and then resumed its rampage without a care in the world.

"HEY! Don't you ignore us, you brute!" Juno shouted.

"What an uncouth creature. It's almost like it doesn't understand how much of a threat we are," Ceres muttered sourly.

Vesta grinned broadly as she brought out her whip. "I say we teach it a lesson or two," she smirked while rushing toward it and slashing at its backside. The whiplash finally caught its attention. It lumbered around to face its opponents when suddenly it lost its balance. Pallas had summoned a plethora of balls to litter the ground and cause the enemy to bumble around like someone had walked over marbles.

"My turn!" Juno called out as she jumped high and landed a diving kick, sending the creature tumbling onto its back. She and Vesta attempted to land more blows when its vine-like arms lashed out and wrapped around the surprised pair, then tossed them through a window at a nearby store.

"Guys! Ooh, now I'm getting mad!" Pallas fumed. She summoned more blue balls and commanded them to shoot at the monster like machine gun fire. Somehow, it wasn't perturbed by the barrage at all. It sent one of its arms into the ground, re-emerging beneath Pallas' feet and sending her flying straight into the air. She shrieked, totally caught unaware of this sneak attack. The creature used its free arm to grab her and whip her right back into the ground as hard as it could. Her body even bounced from the impact.

Ceres clenched her teeth nervously as the enemy next focused on her. She waved her arm in an arc to create a flurry of yellow petals that blinded the creature, then she created a series of vines dotted with flowers to use as trapeze swings. She got on one and swung just in time to avoid a vicious punch. While swinging about on her swings, Ceres showered the area with more flower petals to confuse it. She was hoping to distract it long enough for her combat-oriented siblings to return to the fray. Unfortunately for her, the monster caught on to her plan and used its vine arms to function as springs, launching it up at Ceres' height just as she was swinging toward it. She gasped and tried to leap off, but it managed to punch her off and send her careening against a parked air cab.

Chibi-Moon was astonished at how intelligent their enemy was. Despite acting like a wild brute, it was smart enough to discern the Soldiers' attacks and react accordingly, just like the one that attacked the palace. How was it able to do that? As she was preoccupied with wondering how to fight, the creature landed right in front of her, shaking the ground and catching her completely off guard.

"_Chibi-Moon!"_ the Quartet screamed in horror.

She froze in shock. Just before its gargantuan hand could slap her aside like it did the others, a silver arrow pierced its elbow and exploded into choking fumes that stunned it. Chibi-Moon coughed, and then felt someone wrap their arm around her waist and carry her away from the scene. Once they landed, she looked to see who her savior was.

"You again!" she gasped, finding the unknown green-haired archer who helped them back at Crystal Palace.

"Quite a problematic one, isn't it?" the girl murmured.

"Thank you for saving me."

"It's only part of my duty. But more importantly, what was that pontificating you were engaging in earlier?" the mystery Soldier snapped.

"You mean our introductory speeches?" Chibi-Moon wondered. "We always do that. It's pretty much become a habit now."

"I cannot believe how dense you are. The time you wasted introducing yourself to a berserk killing machine has given it the chance to absorb more evil energy and become stronger. It also becomes more intelligent during the process. You should refrain from continuing such juvenile behavior. This is the real world, not those cheesy super hero shows that kids your age watch."

"'Kids my age'? You don't look any older than me…"

The girl ignored her. "You have to destroy these things the moment they manifest, or they will bring nothing but disaster."

"Okay, okay, I get it already! We should just shut up and fight from now on!"

"While I'm not fond of your vernacular, at least you understand the importance."

Chibi-Moon tensed up and asked, "So do you know what these monsters are and how to defeat them?"

"More than I wish to know," the girl said darkly. "They are called Erisians, or fragments of Eris, the goddess of chaos, strife and discord."

"Eris…" the pink Soldier repeated under her breath. Just the description of the goddess caused goose bumps to form on her skin.

"Those apples that the Erisians are born from are called Apples of Discord, from which they absorb energy emitted by the panic and bedlam they cause while latching to an object and transforming. Leave them alone for too long and they will become another incarnation of Eris, from which more Apples of Discord can be harvested. They are cancerous beings that must be slain immediately. I'm sure you've learned from the assault on your castle – get rid of the apple, and the monster dies."

"Got it! Thank you for your help again!" Chibi-Moon smiled before rushing in to help her guardians. Despite being violently thrown about earlier, the Sailor Quartet had returned to battle. This time the sisters had joined together for their unison attack Amazoness Jungle Arrow, sending a concentrated burst of energy at the Erisian's midsection. It stunned the creature long enough for Chibi-Moon to join the fray and exclaim, "We have to destroy the apple in the center! The longer we take, the more energy it will consume, and then it'll become stronger than this!"

"Then let's stop screwing around and finish this thing for good!" Vesta replied.

As the monster recovered, the five Soldiers gathered together and raised their arms, conjuring up bullets of pink ice from their fingertips and hurling them at the Erisian.

"**Pink Lady's Freezing Kiss!"**

The bullets froze around the vines and solidified. It couldn't move its lethal limbs around, and the Apple of Discord stood out helplessly in the center of the clock monster. Sailor Chibi-Moon then grabbed the jewel of her tiara, removing the accessory from her forehead and making it glow bright pink in her palm.

"**Moon Tiara Action!"** she shouted, hurling the tiara like a frisbee at the apple. The tiara's energy disintegrated it, which caused the Erisian's vines to wither and dissolve. The Wako clock face remained upright on the street. Although its base was damaged, it could still be salvaged. With the battle over, the Sailor Soldiers all retreated to a safe place so no onlookers would asked these strange costumed girls any questions.


	8. Chapter 7: Border Between Ally & Friend

**PRETTY SOLDIER SAILOR MOON: FUTURE**

**Chapter 7: Border Between Ally and Friend**

The six Sailor Soldiers found a quiet corner near one of the empty shop buildings and reconvened. The Sailor Quartet stared at the unknown Soldier, clearly intent on bombarding her with questions. Chibi-Moon interfered as she said, "I don't know who you are or why you're fighting these Erisians, but I really want to thank you for your help today and at the palace. We won't make the same mistakes we made today; once we find one, we destroy the core without any delays."

"That would be most helpful," the girl replied. "It would be real troublesome if multiple Erisians were to appear at once, although their appearances seem to be conveniently sporadic for now. It'd be reassuring to know that you lot can handle at least one without my help."

"You make it sound like we're weak," Ceres frowned.

"That's not necessarily true. There's a difference between being weak and being uninformed. From now on though, I may have to critique your performances if you continuously fail to show improvement."

"Why would you have to critique us? It's not like we're being tested, right?"

The girl paused for a moment, impressed with Ceres' astute insight. True, she wanted to test Earth's protectors, but she didn't want to say too much yet lest she risk offending them. She just replied, "Just continue what you've been doing and you should be fine. I will be looking into where Eris is sending her minions from. I will inform you as soon as that information becomes available so we can launch a proper counterattack."

"Hmph… I suppose that's fair enough."

With that settled, the mystery Soldier tried to walk away when Chibi-Moon suddenly begged, "Can you at least tell us your name!?"

The archer sighed, visibly irritated. "I suppose. It wouldn't do me any good for you to address me as 'Hey, you!' or 'You there!' all the time."

"Then…?"

"I am Sailor Arsenic Hyena."

The other Soldiers were baffled by such an unusual name. Pallas remarked, "That's the same as that Heavy Metal Papillon lady we fought!"

"Yeah," Juno nodded direly. "One of Sailor Galaxia's minions. So that means you're part of Shadow Galactica too, are you not!?"

"Oh, _that_," Hyena brushed her hair aside as if Juno had made a terrible joke. "Don't misunderstand me. I'm nothing like those frauds whom that witch enslaved with false promises. As proof, allow me to show you my Sailor Crystal."

She opened her brooch and a Paris green diamond-shaped crystal emerged, which she held in her hand to show the others. Ceres took a closer look and said, "It's real! But then why are you named like one of Shadow Galactica's minions?"

"It's actually the other way around. The Sailor Metal-Animal convention stems from pseudonyms we use in my galaxy to hide the identity of our guardian planet from enemies. If they were to learn which world we protected, it would be hunted down and obliterated without mercy. We needed to make sure that never happened, and the first step was shielding our true names, hence the peculiar Sailor identities. Shadow Galactica's five traitors killed the real Sailor Soldiers of their home worlds and borrowed that naming convention to identify themselves, rather than reusing the true Soldier's name. Just thinking of their plagiarizing ways disgusts me to no end."

"I see. That's good to know," Chibi-Moon sighed, relieved to learn that this new Soldier was not part of a long lost evil organization.

"But if that's the case, why do you need to hide your identity from us? Can't you trust us?" Juno asked.

Hyena's glare remained stiff and cold. "To be frank, no."

"Why not!? If you're fighting the Erisians with us, then we should work together! Why are you being so distant toward us!?"

"Remember the first Erisian that attacked your palace?" Hyena asked Chibi-Moon, practically ignoring Juno. "I witnessed all of Serenity's guardians fighting it. In all honesty, that battle was abysmal. This battle was hardly any different. How could I trust any of Earth's Sailor Soldiers when they couldn't even handle a lone Erisian as a team? I intervened not to save your lives; rather, I couldn't stand watching such a farce any longer."

Sailor Vesta grew upset. "Are you kidding me!? We were caught off guard! We had no time to think!"

"That's no excuse. A Sailor Soldier must always be ready to fight. The fact that you were 'caught off guard' means that this world is in perpetual tranquility, which has caused Earth's protectors to be rather lax in terms of preparedness. How can I trust any of Serenity's guardians when everlasting peace has dulled their abilities as true warriors? While we are on the same side, I would rather trust my own skills than to rely upon a team of bumbling, outdated guardians. From where I hail, all of you would be considered laughingstocks."

"_I don't believe you!"_ Vesta growled through clenched teeth, grabbing Hyena's collar and forcing her into a glaring match. "You don't have any shame at all, do you!?"

"It's the truth. Why would I need to be ashamed?"

"Stop it!" Ceres pleaded. "I don't like what she's saying either, but we're still fellow Sailor Soldiers! We shouldn't be fighting each other!"

"You should heed her advice," Hyena warned calmly. This was when Vesta felt something sharp against her sternum, and she looked down to find a poison-tipped arrow in Hyena's hand lightly jamming her flesh, threatening to stab through the delicate skin and into her heart. In her fury, Vesta had failed to notice the sneak attack.

"Vesta!" the other Soldiers cried out in fear.

The red-haired warrior paled. "You wouldn't-!"

"I'm quite terrifying when angry," Hyena murmured darkly. "I have no problem ending frivolous, energy-wasting arguments like this… permanently."

Vesta shivered lividly, but surrendered and released Hyena from her grip. The alien girl likewise made her arrow vanish, then jumped high onto a lamp post.

"Where are you going!?" Pallas asked.

"Isn't it obvious? I must find more Erisians to slay. I have no time for idle prattle."

With one more graceful leap, Sailor Arsenic Hyena was gone. Since they had nothing left to do as Sailor Soldiers, the five girls morphed back to their civilian forms and re-emerged into the empty streets of Ginza 4-Chome. Some curious folks were slowly returning, including a few police officers to help restore order to the sabotaged area. Chibi-Usa and the Yoeda sisters looked around until they found Midori standing in the crowd near the nearly ruined Wako clock.

"Midori! Over there!" Chibi-Usa called out and joined her.

"Is everything okay?" Midori asked.

"Don't worry!" Chibi-Usa said. "We managed to find someone to help us!"

"I see. So what was that abomination anyway?"

"I don't know. The only thing that matters is that it's gone."

"Might as well leave it to the police and grab a bite to eat," VesVes stretched.

JunJun muttered, "We just ate, you moron."

"I know, but that little fracas worked up my appetite again."

"Let's go to the bakery in Hibiya! I heard they have the best anpan in the world!" PallaPalla pleaded, grabbing Midori's wrists and hopping on her feet playfully.

"If you're talking about Kimuraya Bakery, I have to warn you that the prices for their sweet breads are fairly high," the quiet girl told her, barely fazed by PallaPalla's childish behavior.

"We elite ladies don't let little things like price tags deter us from having a good time," CereCere grinned slyly and put her hands on Midori's shoulders, vividly blinking in that noblewoman way.

"If you insist, then I will tag along. But I need to return to the apartments soon so I can catch up on my work."

"Sure!" Chibi-Usa nodded, suddenly feeling a little hungry herself. "Let's go!"


	9. Chapter 8: Judgment of Selene

**PRETTY SOLDIER SAILOR MOON: FUTURE**

**Chapter 8: Judgment of Selene**

Out in the farthest corners of the Milky Way Galaxy, undetectable by the solar system's four Sailor Soldiers charged with protecting the external border, there resided a fantastic castle upon a huge meteorite surrounded by an aura barrier to protect it from the harsh environment of space. This palace was far grander and luxurious than the Crystal Palace, but it lacked the homeliness and inviting nature. Instead, this castle was a blatant symbol of its queen's power, majesty, and dominance. It was constructed in her image, and if something didn't suit her extravagant tastes, she would command to have it redone. It was a circular mansion surrounding a huge apple tree with golden apples dangling from its branches.

This was Upala Acropolis, home to the nomadic Animus Syndicate, an evil group led by the undisputed victor of the war that tore apart Alkima Galaxy – Sailor Upala. As she had earned the Victory Crown through acts of greed, corruption, betrayal, manipulation, and sheer strength as a Sailor Soldier, she deemed herself unconquerable in the ways of war and victory. All of Alkima Galaxy answered to her beck and call… and yet, it wasn't enough.

Sailor Upala had heard from the goddess of victory and her chief advisor Eris that there existed a wondrous crystal that could grant any wish the user desired. However, it was far removed from the Soldier's area of conquest. Upala couldn't accept the idea that something more brilliant than herself existed. She had to see this mystical Silver Crystal and discover if its power was real. To that end, she used her power to remove Upala Acropolis and a tremendous chunk of earth from her planet Upala, surrounded it in the barrier, and sent it flying across space towards the Milky Way.

The queen traveled with her entire court and servants of the Animus Syndicate. Her personal servants consisted only of the finest men she chose across Alkima – boys fed her grapes and fanned her, young men carried her around the palace in a fabulously ornate sedia gestatoria, and well-groomed elderly men served as efficient butlers. She had kept the number of female servants to a bare minimum, only allowing a trusted handmaiden who dressed her every morning to remain by her side.

Upala believed that women were jealous creatures who would envy her magnificence and vie for her throne from behind the scenes. Instead, she made her other female courtiers be her personal warriors in the Animus Syndicate. She simply called them the Camarilla – little more than courtiers who surrounded her and had no influence in politics. Even the young boys who brought Upala wine were able to sway her with suggestions on how to spend the day. The Camarilla had no such benefit.

Four of the Camarilla now approached Sailor Upala as she lay upon a jewel-studded velvet hammock stretching across the branches of the gigantic apple tree. The Camarilla wore heavy robes and masks that covered their upper faces, themed after a respective animal. It was another way Upala managed to distance herself from her female warriors – by covering up what made them women and turning them into faceless minions.

In stark contrast, Sailor Upala was the definition of feminine beauty. Her outfit looked more like a ridiculously revealing samba costume than a proper Sailor Soldier uniform, complete with the characteristic colorful feathers flowing from her waist. A sheer capelet flowed from her sailor collar that shimmered in every color of the rainbow, never staying the same color for more than a minute. Upala kept her pale pink hair in complex French braids, and the Victory Crown rested upon her head to serve as a constant reminder as to who was boss around here. If she ever needed to use her pseudonym, it was appropriately called Sailor Opal Peacock.

"Sailor Upala, we bring news," the lead Camarilla announced. This girl wore blue robes and a mask patterned after a cobra's head.

One boy fed her a cupcake with thick frosting. Another boy wiped her face clean. After she was done savoring the sweet taste, Upala declared, "Speak, Naja."

"Yes, Your Majesty. The two Erisian scouts we sent have been defeated by Earth's Sailor Soldiers."

"Oh. Is that all?"

"There is more. Among their ranks, there appears to be a Soldier who doesn't hail from Earth, yet is assisting them in defeating the Erisians. We believe she could be from Alkima."

"A traitor?" Upala furrowed her eyebrow.

"It is most likely. She knows how to defeat them, and has been giving Earth's warriors advice on how to do the same."

"If there is one thing I despise, it is one who acts in treason. Who is this Soldier?"

Naja shook her head. "My scout only reported her saying the name Sailor Arsenic Hyena."

"Che. Using a moniker to hide her guardian planet…" Upala sounded displeased as she swiped a chalice of wine from a tray and gulped the beverage down. "Well, it doesn't really matter where she's from. All I care is that this distasteful 'hyena' be obliterated along with the rest of Earth's protectors. Isn't that right, Lady Eris?"

She glanced high up at the apple tree where hundreds of Apples of Discord hung above them. A deep woman's voice echoed in a hoarse tone, "That is right, my dear. Those who protect the Silver Crystal in any capacity must be shown the full extent of your power. Whether they are natives to Earth or traitors of Alkima is of no consequence."

"See? Even the goddess of victory smiles upon me," Upala grinned in delight. Suddenly she chucked her wine chalice at Naja's head. The golden cup bounced off her mask and clattered to the ground. The Camarilla didn't react whatsoever as a butler proceeded to pick up the discarded chalice.

She ordered in her loudest voice, "Naja! Gyps! Apis! Varan! You four will be responsible for eliminating Earth's Sailor Soldiers! I don't care what methods you use to dispose of them, so long as they are out of my way! Also, I would like to meet this Arsenic Hyena character and subject her to the gallows personally. Her death should serve as a reminder to what happens if I am ever betrayed."

"By the order of Sailor Upala, we the Camarilla shall heed her command!" the four robed warriors chimed in unison, then left the orchard. They could hear their leader playfully cooing into one of her younger servant's ear, but didn't stick around for much longer than that.

The red-robed Camarilla, Gyps, clenched her teeth angrily and growled, "Who the hell does that jailbait think she is?" She adjusted her vulture-themed mask and continued, "Eris says this, Eris says that. Upala isn't fooling anyone with her pomp and ceremony. We all know who the real leader of the Animus Syndicate is."

Apis, the gold-dressed member, replied, "You'd best keep your voice down. Eris can observe everything that goes on in the acropolis and report it to Upala."

The purple-garbed member Varan wiped Naja's hair and asked, "Are you all right?"

"That was nothing. I've gotten used to her bratty behavior," the blue-clothed woman smiled, although the others understood the pain hiding behind it. "Besides, I haven't been this happy in a long time."

"Indeed," Varan said as the quartet reached their personal chambers and approached an apple-shaped mirror from which they could observe Earth. "She managed to reach the blue planet alive. Though, I wish we could have intercepted her while she was still in the capsule."

"Damn, I was surprised when I heard the name Sailor Arsenic Hyena," Gyps crossed her arms. "Only she would use that moniker. How long has it been since we last saw her?"

"But…" Apis frowned sadly, "She would be devastated if she found out what has happened to Alkima."

"There is nothing to fear," Varan said. "Once we obtain the Silver Crystal, we can undo the damage that has wrought our fair galaxy asunder. But what of our friend? It appears she has taken their side."

Naja replied, "She is only bound to the mission we gave her. If we can show her the truth, we can convince her to join the Camarilla and be spared Upala's jealous wrath. I have no mercy for Earth's warriors, but I do not wish to kill our comrade if we can avoid it."

"Damn…" Gyps cursed, flexing her bony claw-like fingers. "Things just got a lot harder for us, hasn't it?"

"But we get to reunite with her. The effort will definitely be worth it," Apis grinned behind her bee-themed mask.

"Yes," Naja nodded with hope in her voice. "The goddess Selene will do nothing for Alkima – it is little more than her personal dumping ground. It is our duty to save the galaxy. We must accomplish this impossible task with our own hands."

* * *

The next morning in Ginza arrived to a somewhat dreary, rainy day. The Yoeda sisters left the apartment complex to go buy some much-needed groceries, and Midori was gone for the day to a popular cram school in Azabu-Juuban called Crystal Seminar. This gave Chibi-Usa the private time she needed to fiddle with Luna-P's antenna, and the toy's blue eyes glowed until a protection screen shone on the nearby wall. The image of two cats, one black and the other white, with crescent moons on their forehead emerged.

"Luna! Artemis! It's good to see you!" she beamed.

"How has Tokyo been so far, Chibi-Usa?" Luna, the black cat, asked.

"It's been fine. Ginza is a huge place, but our neighbor has been a huge help to us."

"Who is it?" Artemis wondered.

"Her name's Inuken Midori. She kind of verbose and blunt, but she has her nice moments. She's shown us around a bit, so we've gotten adjusted to Ginza a lot faster than I thought. She almost got caught up in yesterday's battle, but we managed to get her to safety before fighting it."

"That's good. But don't forget that you have to hide your royal lineage and Sailor Soldier identity from her. She may be a friend, but don't be too open with her," Luna warned her.

"I know. More importantly, there's something I wanted to ask you," Chibi-Usa began. "The Quartet and I finally managed to talk to the mystery Soldier after the fight. She said her name was Sailor Arsenic Hyena."

"Really!?" Artemis exclaimed. "So she's an agent of Shadow Galactica as well!?"

"No, no!" the princess implored, then went on to explain everything that Hyena had told her yesterday. She finished by saying, "She doesn't look to be an enemy, but she doesn't trust us either."

"I see. If you're right, then she isn't who we should be focusing on," Luna said. "We need to worry about those monsters – the Erisians - if we're to believe what Arsenic Hyena told you."

Artemis frowned and piped in, "I don't think she's lying."

"Why not?"

"I remember the tales surrounding Eris, the goddess of discord. She was the one who caused the events leading up to the Trojan War of ancient times. In the Moon Kingdom long before the Silver Millennium, the goddess Selene and her fiancé Tsukuyomi were to be wed, but Eris was not invited to the celebration due to her troublemaking ways. Upset from being snubbed, Eris tossed in a golden apple inscribed with the words 'To the Fairest One'. The goddesses Hera, Athena and Aphrodite thus quarreled over who should have the apple.

"Zeus appointed Paris, the Prince of Troy, to decide who to give the apple to. He chose Aphrodite, as she had promised for him to marry the most beautiful woman in the world; Helen of Sparta. Things got really messy because Aphrodite neglected to mention that Helen was already married, so Paris invaded Sparta to take Helen away. Her husband Menelaus was furious and marched his army against Troy to retrieve her, thus starting the war."

Luna sighed. "I can see where Princess Venus gets her forgetful tendencies from."

"Heh heh…" Chibi-Usa chuckled a little, then said, "I can't believe Eris caused so much trouble among the gods."

"Yeah," Artemis nodded. "Upset that her wedding was sabotaged, Selene greatly weakened Eris and banished her out of the kingdom, sending her into the abyss with no hope of return. But now you say that these golden apples are fragments of Eris, the same goddess that Selene exiled. It's safe to assume that Eris has regained some of her power and is exacting revenge against Selene's kingdom."

"It would seem that way," Luna replied. "I still don't understand what this has to do with an alien Sailor Soldier coming to Earth to help us fight these Erisians."

"Maybe Eris caused trouble in her home world," Chibi-Usa suggested. "Selene did send her 'into the abyss', but that could have been where Sailor Arsenic Hyena's world was. Eris might have used her world to regain her energy before attempting to return here."

"If that's the case, then wouldn't Hyena actually want revenge against Selene for practically dumping Eris in her home world?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe she doesn't know… Or maybe that's why she doesn't trust us."

"That could be it," Artemis mulled. "She definitely hates Eris for whatever happened to her world, but she could also harbor a grudge against Selene for sending Eris there in the first place."

Chibi-Usa thought about Hyena again, vividly imagining her vapid and bitter expression. Sure, Hyena said that she felt like Earth's Sailor Soldiers were too unreliable for her to depend on, but Chibi-Usa believed that wasn't the real reason. After this discussion however, she could now pinpoint a more logical reason behind the Soldier's harsh words and aloof demeanor. She suddenly felt like she needed to owe her a much needed apology.

Luna interrupted her. "In any case, you five should continue monitoring Tokyo for any more Erisians. Keep trying to glean more information out of Sailor Arsenic Hyena as much as you can without angering her. We'll talk to the king and queen about this new development and plan accordingly."


	10. Chapter 9: ABCs of Apologizing

**PRETTY SOLDIER SAILOR MOON: FUTURE**

**Chapter 9: ABCs of Apologizing**

After Luna and Artemis cut the connection with Chibi-Usa, the two cats leapt down from the computer console in Crystal Tokyo's engineering suite and headed down the hallways. As they crossed a balcony overseeing the city, they found King Endymion gazing upon the scenery while drinking some coffee. Although it was grey and overcast, this didn't seem to bother him too much.

"Your Highness!" Artemis exclaimed as he and Luna jumped onto the table. "Small Lady just contacted us with some new information."

"Is she doing well?" the king asked.

"Very much so, although she and the Quartet got into a battle with one of those monsters from before."

The cats then went on to detail Chibi-Usa's information to him – the nature of the Erisians, how they spawned from the goddess of discord Eris, their discussion about Eris and Selene's history, the identity of the archer Sailor Soldier, the probable reason for her not trusting Earth's warriors, and how she wasn't from Shadow Galactica. Endymion took some time to think about all of this, feeling especially bothered by Sailor Arsenic Hyena's contradicting nature of harboring animosity while still helping his daughter and her guardians.

"Even with all of this information, we still can't do much to help," Luna felt dejected.

The king stroked the black cat's back. "There's too much we don't know about, and a lot of our theories are just conjecture for now. All that's for certain is that the goddess Eris is the one responsible for these attacks, and that there is a connection between her and this new Soldier. Fortunately, they don't appear to be on the same side; Hyena _is_ assisting us with defeating Eris' minions."

"I'm not sure if we should focus on Eris or Hyena for getting more details," Artemis admitted.

Endymion gazed upon Tokyo again, this time letting a small smile slip through. "I trust that Chibi-Usa will figure out how to talk to Hyena. She wouldn't want her to continue fighting alone for very long. If she can overcome Hyena's trust issues, then we could gain a valuable ally in this battle. Our priority should be locating more Erisians and sending the Sailor Soldiers out to fight them."

"But if we deploy the Soldiers, that will leave Crystal Tokyo unguarded!"

"Serenity and I will remain to protect the Silver Crystal. It's more important for the citizens to feel safe during this time of crisis."

"That's true…" Luna murmured. "Then Artemis and I will monitor the skies for any activity."

The cats left Endymion alone, and he took a few more sips of his drink before leaving the balcony to go find his wife, the Sailor Soldiers, and his Four Generals to discuss this new turn of events.

* * *

Chibi-Usa felt a little better from talking with Luna and Artemis, but she now had to contend with these new feelings brewing within her. She grew confused about what to do when she met Hyena again. What would she say to her? Were her assumptions even right to begin with? Was she looking at this all wrong? Could they become friends, or would they remain stuck in this distant stalemate? She had no way of knowing until she talked to Hyena.

Even though she couldn't do anything about it, Chibi-Usa still had many bothersome thoughts swirling in her mind. She decided to put her rain coat on, grab an umbrella, and go for a nice long walk. She didn't have a particular destination in mind; she just wanted to get moving to burn off this stressful energy welling within her. After leaving a note for the sisters, she left the apartment complex.

Chibi-Usa didn't really pay attention to where she was going. The flurry of street signs, passing people and rolling cars barely registered to her. All she could see was Sailor Arsenic Hyena's face; her tired eyes, her unsmiling lips, and her apple green hair nearly covering her eyes in a veil of mystery. It was the face of someone who had gone through a lot in her life, but Hyena refused to place her faith in Earth's guardians and reveal what those troubles were. As someone who loved to make new friends and fight alongside new allies, Chibi-Usa didn't like this tension whatsoever – she couldn't even stand Hyena hiding her true Sailor Soldier identity from her. Despite not knowing much about her, what could she do to ease Hyena's wariness?

She had gotten on a bus and watched the sidewalks and pedestrians zoom by. She heard the driver call out, "Next stop, Azabu-Juuban!" Once she reached the district, she gave the man some change and got off the bus to walk around some more.

Azabu-Juuban was a place full of fond memories for Chibi-Usa when she was younger. It was complicated to explain, but she had traveled back in time to the 20th century after a sinister group called the Black Moon Clan had attacked Crystal Tokyo in the 30th century. Since the Silver Crystal had gone missing in the 30th century, Chibi-Usa went back to the 20th century to look for its duplicate. She had met the Sailor Soldiers when they were teenagers, including her mother Serenity when she went by Tsukino Usagi and her father Endymion when he was Chiba Mamoru. A lot of things happened between them, but the conflicts with the Black Moon Clan were resolved, and Chibi-Usa trained to be a Sailor Soldier during the Death Busters' and Dead Moon Circus' invasions. Although they were trying times, she had learned a lot about what it was like to be both a regular girl and a guardian of Earth.

Chibi-Usa had returned to the 30th century's version of Azabu-Juuban. Although technology had taken over the entirety of the district, as was the case with the rest of Tokyo, she could still feel its inviting charm in the familiar locations – Crown Game Center, now a haven for gamers to play the latest in games; the Fruits Parlor Crown attached to the futuristic arcade on the second floor; Juuban Municipal Junior High School, where Chibi-Usa intended to go to junior high; and then Crystal Seminar, where Sailor Mercury once passionately studied.

Chibi-Usa mindlessly ambled in front of Crystal Seminar for a bit, thinking about Mercury when she was once Mizuno Ami. It briefly crossed her mind that Midori was attending the same cram school right now. Although she felt tempted to try and find Midori, Chibi-Usa didn't want to interrupt her studies. She decided to just keep walking.

"Chibi-Usa?" she heard a familiar quiet voice nearby. She whipped around to find Midori heading through Crystal Seminar's double doors, her backpack full of books slung over her shoulder. Her face was well hidden within her dark green hooded rain jacket, so Chibi-Usa almost didn't recognize her.

"Ah! W-What the-?" Chibi-Usa panicked when she finally snapped out of her daze and realized where she was. "How did I wind up here!?"

Midori gave her a flat stare. "I'm a little scared of you asking yourself that question."

"I, uh… Eh heh heh! I just went for a walk, got on Shintomicho Station and, um… Well, I was just lost in thought and wandered here. I have a lot of fond memories of this district, so maybe I was just led here…"

"I see. An unconscious attraction to a location steeped in memories…" Midori mused, as if the whole thing made sense. She dismissed it and asked, "Aside from that, what was preoccupying you?"

"It wasn't anything important."

"I honestly doubt that. Who in their right senses would wander into the wrong district on such a rainy day and not have 'anything important' on their mind?"

Chibi-Usa sulked, feeling utterly defeated. "I, uh… Well, I don't really want to bother you with my troubles. I know you're busy with your studies, and…"

"I just finished my class for today. As it is unhealthy to constantly study, I will be freeing up my time for the rest of the day. I was about to return to the apartments, but perhaps it would be prudent for us to go home together," Midori suggested.

"Sorry about this. I just have a lot on my mind."

The girls heard a guttural thunderstorm roaring in the distance. The green-haired girl murmured, "I doubt we will be able to reach the nearest station in due time. We should seek shelter for the interim."

"Then let's go to the Fruits Parlor Crown nearby."

Chibi-Usa and Midori hurried as best as they could to the café, rushing up the steps to the entrance just in time to avoid being caught in the incoming thunderstorm. They found an empty booth and ordered a couple of drinks.

"So, let's get to the main issue. What seems to be vexing you so much?" Midori asked.

Chibi-Usa sat back and thought about what to say. "I think it would sound kind of strange to you…"

"Strangeness is only a preconception defined by those who do not open their minds to anything beyond rational thought."

"Erm…" the pink-haired girl muttered, feeling a little baffled by her partner's ornate and philosophical speech patterns. She took it to mean that Midori would not find her problems weird, so she asked, "Let me ask you a question. Let's say that you realize that something horribly wrong was done to someone and you want to apologize to them."

"Something horribly wrong… That sounds a little too generalized. Can we use a hypothetical scenario?"

"Sure. Something happened to your best friend, like they were hit by a car and the driver left the scene, and you know who the driver is. You want to apologize to your best friend for the suffering they're going through, but you're not the one who caused it."

"Hmm…" Midori folded her fingers together and thought for a few moments. "Am I safe to assume that my opinion will be one of several you will be compiling to arrive at an answer?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Very well. First of all, let us call yourself A, your best friend as B, and the offending third party as C," she explained, drawing a triangle with her finger on the table. "With that said, it is best for A and B to keep C as a separate issue. A and C know each other, and C injured B. Those issues should be resolved on the side so as not to interfere with A and B's friendship.

"Now, A knows they did nothing wrong to B, but because they personally know C, they want to apologize. A must keep in mind that they should not be making amends on C's behalf – that is C's problem, not A's. A simply wish to acknowledge B's pain and do their best to provide solace. We could say that A visits B in the hospital with some flowers, spends some quality time with them, and discusses how this will affect them in the future.

"B should at least be responsible enough to feel A's heartfelt sympathy. If all works out well, their bond should be strengthened. If B does not understand A's feelings, they will grow distant and their friendship weakens. If that occurs, then I feel they were not true friends to begin with. Sadly, A has no control over how B will react. All they can do is apologize and provide as much support as possible without overexerting themselves."

Chibi-Usa paused, appearing a little overwhelmed by Midori's methodical approach to things. She then asked, "What if C had died during that car accident?"

"Like they drove into a pole or a wall or similar?"

"Sure. The point is that C is no longer around to bear responsibility for what happened to B."

Midori shrugged. "Frankly, B should find some sense of karmic justice. Although they were hurt, they still survived."

"That's a good point… But I'm still trying to put myself in A's shoes here."

"I can see that. The dynamic may be different as far as C is concerned, but I fail to see any difference between A and B. I believe you're grossly exaggerating C's role in this; your priority should be how A and B's interactions will be affected."

Chibi-Usa pursed her eyebrows. After what Midori just said, it dawned upon her that maybe she was looking too much into Selene's role in banishing Eris to Sailor Arsenic Hyena's world. Chibi-Usa didn't need to force herself to take Selene's place in burdening the responsibility. She just needed to do what she could as Sailor Chibi-Moon; nothing more, nothing less. Despite Hyena acting strict and unapproachable, Chibi-Usa assumed that she would be mature enough to understand. She couldn't imagine Hyena being all immature and bratty about it.

She smiled a little and replied, "Thanks, Midori. I feel much better now."

"I assumed my opinion would only be one of several. Might you have arrived at an answer with just my input?"

"Maybe. Besides, it's kind of a difficult subject to ask the Yoeda sisters."

"No doubt about that," Midori rested her head upon her hand. "Their personalities are unnaturally quirky at times, which is an endearing factor to be sure, but causes issues when seeking advice for serious matters. The solutions they suggest may wind up being too haphazard for your liking. If need be, you may consult me regarding future weighty concerns."

"I'll remember to do that."


	11. Chapter 10: Arsenic Toxicum Power

**PRETTY SOLDIER SAILOR MOON: FUTURE**

**Chapter 10: Arsenic Toxicum Power**

High in the stratosphere above Japan, the Camarilla known as Apis – the one who wore yellow robes and had a bee-themed mask – floated in midair and gazed down upon the crystalline structure within the center of Tokyo. Although she was hundreds of miles away, she could use the bug-like eyes on her mask as a pair of visors to zoom in on Earth's surface. Statistics beeped on the monitors, and she smiled in amazement.

"This is such a lovely planet. I can see why Earth's Sailor Soldiers would want to protect it so badly," she commented to no one in particular. "I wonder if it would stay this beautiful if we were to take the Silver Crystal away… Well, not much I can do about that. Alkima deserves to have the same beauty once again. No, maybe even greater. To put one lone planet on a higher pedestal than an entire galaxy is quite silly."

She whipped her hand out, teleporting an Apple of Discord from Eris' tree in Upala Acropolis. "More importantly, I must fulfill our first mission before taking the Silver Crystal. You there, Erisian."

Apis commanded the apple as evil energy brimmed within its golden skin. "Find the one named Sailor Arsenic Hyena – a girl emitting this particular energy signature - and apprehend her."

The Camarilla held an orb containing the Sailor Soldier's essence that she had preserved, using it as a marking tool for the Erisian to find its prey. She added coldly, "Destroy any and all other obstacles in your way if need be."

With its orders issued, the Apple of Discord plummeted towards Tokyo, vanishing in a streak of golden light. Apis silently teleported herself back to Upala Acropolis, confident that the monster would handle the rest.

* * *

The thunderstorm started to dissipate into a light drizzle, so Chibi-Usa said to Midori, "I think it's safe to go to the bus stop now."

"It certainly is getting late. Your roommates are probably concerned by now," Midori looked at her watch.

It was at this moment that Apis' evil apple fell upon a lightning rod that had been struck a couple of times during the storm. Although it was pierced through, the apple gathered the energy brimming within the rod and transformed it into an Erisian resembling an apple-shaped orb with a large rod extending from the top instead of a stem, which also grew legs and arms. Some kind of demonic figure formed within the electric orb; apparently it represented the Erisian's soul. The monster charged its rod and sent a huge wave of lightning around the area.

The bolts struck the ground as pedestrians walked by the parlor. The sidewalk was violently scorched and nearby glass windows shattered. Everyone shrieked at the same time and scattered in different directions. Chibi-Usa yelped and covered her ears from the piercing sound, while Midori slouched forward and squeezed her eyes shut. The light emitted by the lightning was incredible, so much that anyone would be blinded if they looked at it directly.

Once the cacophony settled down, Chibi-Usa gasped when she saw the Erisian terrorizing people right outside. A communicator beeped in her pocket and she answered it immediately, exclaiming in as hushed a voice as she could, "I'm here!"

"Chibi-Usa!" Luna remarked on the other line. "We just picked up a signal from an Apple of Discord! It's-!"

"I know! It's attacking everyone just outside of here!"

"Are you kidding!? How did it appear so suddenly!? Anyway, you need to fight it! Artemis is contacting the Quartet to come as backup!"

"Got it!"

She cut the connection and looked back at Midori. She was just recovering from the shock and gasping for air, her heart beating at an unhealthy speed. Chibi-Usa told her, "You should go through the back and find medical help. You don't look so good."

"I'm okay… But what are you going to do?"

"I'll go find help, just like last time!"

"Okay…" Midori wheezed, still sounding flustered. She stumbled towards the back of the parlor and left Chibi-Usa alone. Now that everyone had been evacuated, she could transform without worry.

"**Pink Moon Crystal Power, Make Up!"**

Chibi-Usa morphed into Sailor Chibi-Moon and ran outside the café to intercept the Erisian. She thought that Midori had escaped during the mayhem… but she hadn't. The quiet girl had stayed in hiding and witnessed Chibi-Usa's transformation. She wasn't surprised in the least; she already knew that Chibi-Usa was the princess of Crystal Tokyo and a Sailor Soldier. Midori remembered her face from the attack on the palace last week.

Now that Sailor Chibi-Moon and any other potential witnesses were gone, Midori could begin her own transformation phase. She unpocketed a ring with an apatite gemstone and slipped it onto her right ring finger, then stroked the gem to energize it. It shone with a peculiar light blue-green sigil resembling Sailor Venus' symbol, except the heart was upside-down and the vertical line ran through it.

"**Arsenic Toxicum Power, Make Up."**

Green mist whirled out of the ring and surrounded her body, engulfing her in a poisonous fog until only her silhouette could be seen. It covered her body and formed into a bodysuit, then a sailor collar, a grey shirt, and a green skirt, finishing off with an orange neckerchief. A familiar bow and arrow formed in Midori's hands and she fired through the mist, breaking it apart and revealing herself in Sailor Arsenic Hyena's costume. After whirling around once to create another arrow in her hand, she finished her transformation and stood in her trademark pose.

* * *

Sailor Chibi-Moon dashed toward the Erisian as it loomed over a frightened mother and her baby in a stroller. She wasn't going to bother with the traditional introduction, just as Sailor Arsenic Hyena had chastised about in the previous battle.

"**Moon Tiara Action!"** she shouted, throwing her energized tiara at the orb. To her dismay, the attack didn't slice through the apple like it had the previous monster. The tiara was deflected off the orb with a hollow metallic sound, and it returned to its stunned owner's hand. She did succeed in drawing the Erisian's attention away from the mother so she could escape with her child.

"No way!" Chibi-Moon gasped. Although she was competent as a leader and a warrior who could purify monsters, she was virtually incapable of fighting battles on her own. While she had been in training, she was always accompanied by someone else to do the fighting with her. This was the first time that she was caught in a real battle all by herself. She honestly had no idea what to do beyond dodging attacks and running away.

The Sailor Soldier ducked low to avoid a stream of lightning bolts. Another barrage barreled for her, but she grabbed her Pink Moon Stick as a last resort and yelled, **"Pink Sugar Heart Attack!"**

A stream of pink hearts blew out of her wand and countered the electricity. They were caught in a stalemate as their powers struggled to dominate each other's. Chibi-Moon struggled to maintain her offensive, but it was proving to be very difficult. Although she did her best to repress her panic, the monster could still feed off of her distress and grow stronger, which was apparent when it slowly started to get the upper hand.

The Erisian suddenly yelped at a high pitch and ceased its assault, allowing Chibi-Moon to break through and pummel it with the heart pulses. It jumped back and maintained its distance. She looked at its elbow and discovered a silver arrow piercing through the joint. She followed its trajectory and found Sailor Arsenic Hyena standing on a fire escape stairwell above them.

"Hyena!" Chibi-Moon exclaimed elatedly.

The calm Soldier jumped down next to her and commented darkly, "You're quite clumsy without your guardians, aren't you?"

"I can't help it! I'm not used to fighting alone! I'm better with fighting alongside my friends! But I need to stall it while the Sailor Quartet are on their way!"

"That won't get you very far if you need to survive on your own."

"You're here now, so I don't need to worry about that."

"Hmph," Hyena grunted, having to agree with Chibi-Moon. They refocused their attention on the Erisian as it had pulled out the arrow from its arm. Hyena instantly snapped her fingers, causing the projectile to explode into a puff of greenish smoke. The creature lost its vision for a few moments as it fumbled around in the poisonous mist. Although the toxins were useless against this mechanical beast, the smokescreen was enough for Hyena.

"**Perfect Aim,"** she murmured in a low voice, creating a small magic circle in front of her face that resembled target crosshairs. The Erisian glowed Paris green for a moment as the magic circle attached itself to the monster. Perfect Aim wasn't an offensive skill; its purpose was to allow Hyena to fire from a much farther distance than humanly possible and still hit her target. In other words, it temporarily boosted her accuracy to absurd levels.

The lightning-rod monster wasn't sure of what just happened, but it noticed Hyena and Chibi-Moon as they leapt a few times and landed upon a high-rise terrace. Sailor Arsenic Hyena readied her arrow, summoning a cloud of green energy to converge within its tip. The monster let out a pulsing cry and jumped after them.

"**Dew of Death,"** she chanted ominously, firing her shot. The arrow flew about half a mile and accelerated in flight thanks to Hyena's power, turning into a proverbial green rocket. It clashed against the Erisian's apple-like structure in a powerful burst of smoky energy, making a sort of splashing dew-like sound before exploding, and sent it hurtling backwards onto the road with a fantastic crash.

The Sailor Soldiers, confident that Hyena had successfully killed the enemy, jumped down from their vantage point and nervously approached the crash site. Chibi-Moon anxiously asked, "Do you think it's dead?"

"Never say for certain until the proper checks are done. Many careless mistakes have been made because the enemy's death was not ascertained first," Hyena replied.

Just as she made that forewarning, a brilliant bolt of electricity instantly broke through the smoke. They gasped and rolled out of the way simultaneously, narrowly avoiding instant death. The livid Erisian stood back up, and the extent of the damage was revealed; Chibi-Moon's Pink Sugar Heart Attack had created a few dents in the armored apple's exterior, while Hyena's Dew of Death managed to rip one of its arms clean off. Unfortunately, these injuries weren't enough to kill it. In fact, it was in the process of regenerating its lost limb, and it seemed to be more furious than before.

Hyena clenched her teeth and growled, "The Apple of Discord has created a metallic barrier to protect the Erisian's spirit. It's evolving more rapidly than I've ever seen before."

"What do we do? Neither of our attacks are working!" Chibi-Moon panicked.

The girls stared at the Erisian as it lumbered towards them. The demonic soul-creature dwelling within the orb flashed its eyes as it focused its attention on Hyena. She widened her eyes and grabbed Chibi-Moon's hand, forcing her to run with her as the monster unleashed another volley of electricity at them. Hyena exclaimed, "We must retreat! The only way to stop it is for you and your guardians to perform that freezing technique again!"

"You mean Pink Lady's Freezing Kiss? But I don't know how long it will take for them to get here!"

"Even so, the best we can do distract it so it doesn't harm anymore townsfolk!"

"Will it get stronger in the meantime!?"

Hyena grumbled, realizing the flaw in her strategy. Chibi-Moon was right; even if they stalled the Erisian, it would still get more powerful from absorbing the discordant energy surrounding them. Hyena wasn't sure if the freezing technique would even work at that point. The duo had no choice but to stop it themselves, and they needed to do it fast. They had to figure out a way to pierce through the Apple of Discord's armor and eliminate the evil soul dwelling within the Erisian before it could evolve enough to gain intelligence. Once that happened, their chances of winning would be even slimmer than they were right now…


	12. Chapter 11: Pink Lady's Regalia

**PRETTY SOLDIER SAILOR MOON: FUTURE**

**Chapter 11: Pink Lady's Regalia**

Crystal Palace's monitoring suite was bustling with activity. King Endymion and Neo Queen Serenity had hurried over to observe the battle after Luna reported another attack in Tokyo. Artemis was busy detailing the situation to the Sailor Quartet as they hurried to reach Chibi-Moon's position.

"I don't believe this!" Luna sweated, reading the monster's data as the numbers flashed and changed constantly. "How is the Erisian evolving so fast!? At this rate, Chibi-Moon and Hyena will be killed!"

"Their attacks aren't working?" Endymion asked.

"I'm afraid so. They've tried what they can, but nothing has been able to pierce the Apple of Discord's shell. They might have learned from the previous two battles and are defending themselves."

"Chibi-Usa…" Serenity moaned in worry. Although she was gravely concerned for her daughter's safety, she was also relieved to see Sailor Arsenic Hyena cooperating with her.

"How much longer until the Quartet are there!?" Luna exclaimed to Artemis.

"Another ten minutes!"

"That's too long! If only Chibi-Moon and Hyena could do something about this…"

* * *

The two Sailor Soldiers fled from the lightning-rod monster as it electrified its regenerated arm and delivered a long swinging punch. Hyena threw Chibi-Moon out of the way before jumping in a backwards arc to dodge the attack while shooting more arrows at the Apple of Discord. They were ineffective, as she predicted. The Erisian followed her movements and kept trying to hit Hyena with electricity and violent punches. During these brief moments of safety, Chibi-Moon realized that it was only going for her partner.

Chibi-Moon decided to try another Pink Sugar Heart Attack, since her earlier barrage did damage the armored shell a bit. Perhaps if she weakened one spot enough, then Hyena could break through with another Dew of Death. She fired a volley of pink hearts at the Erisian, concentrating as hard as she could to intensify her attack. The monster grew annoyed with her interference. As Hyena landed, it snatched her entire body and angrily chucked her straight at Chibi-Moon, sending them tumbling together across the road.

The girls were astounded by its strength. Hyena gasped a few times and crouched to her knees, slowly shuffling to the side. The creature's eyes followed her movements.

"Sailor Chibi-Moon…" she whispered. "I believe that it has targeted me, rather than you. I can't explain this unusual behavior, but this is your chance to reconvene with your guardians."

"What about you?" the other girl wondered.

"I will buy you some time. Even though it is getting stronger, it should be all right as long as I remain mobile and avoid any assaults."

Even though the battle was looking grim, Chibi-Moon still didn't want to leave Hyena behind. Yet, she also understood that her comrade didn't want her to be in danger any longer. Chibi-Moon's eye caught sight of the Fruits Parlor Crown's shattered windows, and she recalled her conversation with Midori. She still needed to talk to Hyena about Selene and Eris. Chibi-Moon wouldn't be able to do that if she abandoned her to save herself. If she did leave, she believed that she would have even less of a right to apologize to Hyena. The tension within Chibi-Moon's chest exponentially grew until she could no longer contain it. She was the type of person to follow her feelings, and she wasn't going to change it even for a life-or-death battle.

Just as Hyena was about to dodge right to lure the Erisian away, Chibi-Moon let out a feral cry and charged straight for her opponent, firing an intense streak of hearts from the Pink Moon Stick towards the lightning rod. Her barrage was stronger than before, since it was able to rip the rod clean off with an explosion of pink light. The monster gasped in surprise at losing its source of electricity.

"What do you think you're doing!?" Hyena screamed.

"Saving you, that's what!" Chibi-Moon responded furiously. She grabbed her ally's wrist and made her run towards where she believed the Sailor Quartet would be coming.

"Have you gone mad!? You have no obligation to ensure my safety!"

"You're wrong! We still have much to talk about! We still have to-!"

Suddenly, the pair was caught in a line of searing voltage. The Erisian had unleashed the last of its electric power upon them, shocking their nervous systems and temporarily paralyzing them. They collapsed on the pavement and struggled to move their limbs, but it was useless. They could hear the monster's footsteps getting closer to them.

Hyena grunted bitterly, "You ludicrous dunce…"

"Ungh…" Chibi-Moon moaned in pain, but looked at her in the eye and uttered, "I can't leave you… Not until… Not until I've apologized!"

Hyena widened her eyes, dumbfounded as to why she would say such a thing. The Erisian raised its claw to slice the helpless duo into pieces. However, it didn't get the chance to.

A burst of pink and silver energy spontaneously burst in front of Chibi-Moon, blinding everyone. The holy energy emitting from the light forced the monster to retreat. The sparkling light particles congregated around the Pink Moon Stick, which had floated out of her grasp, and transformed it into a different wand with a pink heart resting upon a silver crescent, with the stick portion studded with five different colored jewels – rose pink, sky blue, apple green, vermilion red, and Paris green – meant to represent the Sailor Quartet and Sailor Arsenic Hyena. The effervescent light also healed the Sailor Soldiers of their wounds and paralysis.

"What is this?" Chibi-Moon gasped, grasping the wand in her hands.

Just then, a woman's gentle voice echoed in the air, _"That is the evolved version of the Pink Moon Stick: the Pink Lady's Regalia."_

"Mama!?" the princess exclaimed. She and Hyena looked up towards Crystal Tokyo to discover an enlarged projection of Neo Queen Serenity from the shoulders up. She was using an advanced projection system to televise herself to Chibi-Moon despite being miles away.

"_Luna and Artemis told me everything. Your love for your friends and your desire to make amends to your new ally has awakened a new power within you. It is a symbol of nurturing your current friendships and yearning to break through barriers towards making new friends."_

"Barriers toward making new friends…" Chibi-Moon whispered, glancing back at the silent Hyena.

"_The Regalia will respond to your wishes and lend you its strength. As long as you remain close with your friends, it will always give you its support. Now, raise it high and stand among your new ally in battle."_

Chibi-Moon became determined as she glanced at Hyena. She exclaimed, "We can do this! No Erisian will be able to stand against us!"

"Hm…" Hyena murmured, somewhat little befuddled by this situation. She dismissed it for now and replied, "This foul creature has caused more than enough trouble. Let us send it into oblivion posthaste."

Hyena readied another arrow while Chibi-Moon twirled around a few times and extended the Pink Lady's Regalia from a wand into a staff. The five gems on the stick portion glowed their respective colors, charging the pink heart with energy until it shone brilliant prismatic colors. Words formed in both of their minds simultaneously, as if they instinctively knew what to do next.

"**Sweet Cupid Straight Shoot!"** the Soldiers chanted together.

Hyena fired her shot, and Chibi-Moon unleashed a torrential stream of colorful light running parallel to the arrow. Chibi-Moon's purifying energy transferred into Hyena's arrow, changing it into a sparkling pink projectile. The supercharged arrow easily broke through the metallic skin and burrowed through the flesh. A burst of holy energy exploded from the arrow as it self-destructed, destroying the Apple of Discord and killing the Erisian. All that remained was sparkling glitter and the faint scent of roses.

"_That was incredible,"_ Serenity murmured proudly. _"Now with your strengthened bond, you, your guardians, and your new friend can defeat any enemies who threaten this beautiful blue planet."_

"Yes, Mama!" Chibi-Moon shouted, and Serenity's projection faded away.

* * *

In Upala Acropolis, the Camarilla had observed the entire battle from the viewing mirror in their quarters. When the Erisian was defeated, Naja sat back in her chair and grew uncomfortable.

"So that's the power of Earth's princess," Apis remarked.

"Man, that was intense!" Gyps grinned. "I could feel my blood pumping through me!"

"But it had almost killed our friend…"

"Hey, it was your creature, not mine. If you wanted her alive, you should have ordered it to stop."

"I told it to apprehend her. I don't understand why it failed to follow such a basic command."

"Then put some kind of doggy collar on them or something to keep them under control."

Apis folded her arms and thought about this idea. "Maybe… I wonder if it has to do with the creatures absorbing so many negative emotions that any previous orders given to them will be overridden…"

"Meaning that Earth's Sailor Soldiers are so weak that the Erisians have time to become stronger than ever before," Gyps replied sourly. "But now I'm starting to have a different opinion about them, especially Crystal Tokyo's princess. Maybe they will become worthwhile opponents for me in the near future."

Apis rolled her eyes. "You're such a battle freak."

Meanwhile, Varan asked Naja, "What seems to be troubling you?"

"It's Hyena," the concerned Camarilla murmured. "I'm worried that she might be getting too acquainted with Earth's Sailor Soldiers."

"You speak of that fusion attack that Hyena and the princess performed?"

"Yes… We need to bring our friend here as soon as possible. Not only is Eris a potential threat to her safety, but now Hyena may grow fond of her new comrades and not wish to return to us."

Varan sat down next to her and suggested, "You remember what our friend is like. She would only work with foreign Soldiers out of necessity, rather than from a sense of kinship. Her loyalty to us is unshakeable. She is only following the parameters of her mission to alert Serenity of Eris' invasion. I cannot imagine Hyena fraternizing with Serenity's guardians any more than necessary."

"I hope you're right," Naja put her hand on her chest. "I've wanted to reunite with her for such a long time…"


	13. Chapter 12: Amending Another's Wrong

**PRETTY SOLDIER SAILOR MOON: FUTURE**

**Chapter 12: Amending Another's Wrong**

Sailor Arsenic Hyena dematerialized her bow and arrow and put a hand on her hip. "An unexpected twist of events, but at least disaster has been prevented."

Chibi-Moon put her hands behind her back and murmured, "So, Hyena… About what I wanted to talk about…"

"Ah, yes. The very reason you risked your life for such a futile gambit. What sort of discussion would motivate you to go to such lengths?" Hyena wondered while folding her arms sternly.

The pink Sailor Soldier frowned hard. Now was the time to finally express her pent up worries. Just as Midori advised, Hyena's reaction would be beyond her control. All she could do was empathize as best as she could and come to some sort of an agreement.

"I'm sorry!" she blurted and bowed suddenly.

Hyena raised an eyebrow. "Whatever brought this upon you?"

"It's about the goddess Eris, the one who's been sending those monsters. I heard about her and how my ancestor Selene banished her after causing trouble at her wedding. Now with you saying that the Erisians are fragments of Eris and how they spring up as monsters, it means that Eris was banished to your world and is regaining her power as we speak! Am I wrong?"

Hyena pursed her lips for a few moments. The drizzling rain blew around them in a surprise breeze, as if reacting to the tension between the Sailor Soldiers. Then she replied, "Your assumption is spot on. The goddess Selene of this galaxy had sent Eris into the deepest void of space, believing it was the pit of darkness from which nothing returned. She had unknowingly sent her to my galaxy – Alkima, the birthplace of thousands of thriving planets."

"The Alkima Galaxy?" Chibi-Moon repeated. "You home world is there?"

"That's right. Eris regained her power by initiating a war between the Sailor Soldiers from behind the scenes."

"The same way she must have caused trouble at Selene and Tsukuyomi's wedding."

"So you are aware of the mythology surrounding Selene and Eris. As uncreative as Eris' strategy was, it proved to be effective in stirring up discord among my fellow Soldiers. She masqueraded as a benevolent goddess of victory and bestowed upon Alkima the Victory Crown, promising to grant it and her unimaginable power to the strongest Sailor Soldier, who would then earn the right to be called the Queen of Alkima. Naturally, my comrades began to fight each other for dominance."

"How cruel…" Chibi-Moon gasped. "Did you ever have to fight the other Sailor Soldiers?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Those Soldiers from prosperous worlds gained unfathomable power and recruited lesser Soldiers into their ranks. Worse yet, they had the gall to deem dying worlds as worthless trash and abandoned them to their fate, not even wanting to recruit their Sailor Soldiers. My decaying world fell victim to such judgment and was left to die. I had to do whatever it took to protect my civilization… even assassinating my so-called 'comrades'."

Chibi-Moon felt even more uneasy listening to Hyena's tale. She couldn't imagine the same thing happening to the Milky Way's Sailor Soldiers. Her having to fight Sailor Mars, or Sailor Uranus, or even Sailor Saturn? It was unfathomable. Everyone was precious to her in some way. For Alkima's Sailor Soldiers to turn their backs to each other and wage war over a stupid crown…

Chibi-Moon tensed up. "I feel horrible for my ancestor sending such a villain to your galaxy. I don't know why you've come to Earth, but you're waging war against Eris all by yourself. You don't trust us not because we're weak, but because we are part of Selene's kingdom. I wish I could help you, but because of what Selene did… I really don't know what to say…"

Hyena fell silent, pondering over Chibi-Moon regrets. She didn't appear angry or frustrated by the whole situation. This was all nothing more than a great calamity that caused misery and strife – exactly what Eris wanted. Hyena could yell and scream at Chibi-Moon, trying to pin all of the blame on her shoulders, but that wouldn't solve the real issue. Besides, while she was Midori, Hyena could sense that Chibi-Usa was feeling genuinely sorry, although she wasn't sure what she wanted to apologize for until now.

Finally, Hyena murmured, "At least you acknowledge your involvement in this."

"I know. I want to do everything I can, but if you harbor a grudge against us, then I don't want to force you to join sides with us," Chibi-Moon said, staring intently at the Pink Lady's Regalia. Even though her mother said it was a symbol of friendship, she didn't want to be too pushy with someone as sensitive as Hyena.

"Then let us propose a consensus to achieve a beneficial medium. I will remain as a separate entity for now. Meanwhile, prove yourselves to be strong enough to fight the Erisians without falling prey to Eris' machinations, or needing my assistance constantly, and I may consider fully allying myself with you. Selene is an issue that neither of us have control over, so there's no point in self-flagellating upon it any further. Instead, I wish to see how strong your minds and hearts are against Eris' evil power – if she causes this world's Sailor Soldiers to fight each other just as she did to Alkima's warriors…"

Hyena somberly closed her eyes. "I may have to give up on Earth."

Chibi-Moon was ecstatic. "It's a deal! I'll tell Mama, Papa and all of my friends to be on the lookout! In exchange, I'll ask them to leave you alone. You can decide when you feel you're ready to trust us."

Hyena nodded. "Let us consider this an official pledge then."

"Okay. I wish I could talk to you more, but I don't want to take up your time. There's still so much I don't know… especially about you," Chibi-Moon smiled gently.

"My personal history is irrelevant at this time. Now if you will excuse me."

Hyena turned around and leapt into the air, her figure vanishing as she swerved around some high rise buildings. While Chibi-Moon watched her leave, she could hear someone yelling in the distance, "Hey, Chibi-Moon!"

"Guys!" she whirled around to find the Sailor Quartet running towards her.

The exhausted sisters panted from sprinting so fast. Sailor Juno recovered first and demanded, "Where's the Erisian!?"

"Don't worry. The Sailor Soldier from before helped me defeat it."

"That Arsenic Hyena character or whatever? You sure you can trust her?" Vesta grumbled. "Sure, she may be beating up the monsters with us, but that doesn't mean she's our ally."

"How can you say that!?" Chibi-Moon implored. "She's a Sailor Soldier! We all share the same duty of protecting innocent people from evil!"

"But if that's case," Ceres pondered, "she doesn't have any connection with anyone on Earth. Who would she want to protect from Eris' creatures if she has no one worth guarding here?"

"Maybe it's not an issue of protecting anyone for her…"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I talked with her just before you got here." Chibi-Moon then told them about her conversation with Hyena. "We agreed to remain separate until she felt she was ready to trust us."

"Hmm… So that whole deal about us being weak was a lie," Juno mused. "She certainly is a complicated one to figure out."

Vesta was still bothered by the whole thing. "I still don't trust her. If there are people I don't like, it's those who shroud themselves in mystery and aren't straightforward with what they want. This could all be a ruse to get us to believe her before she betrays us at the last minute."

"Man, you're so mean, Vesta!" Pallas snapped, surprising her sister. "Just because we don't know much about Hyena doesn't mean she should be automatically labeled an enemy! It was the same thing for Miss Usagi when she first met Mr. Mamoru as Tuxedo Mask! She didn't know anything about him, but she still believed in him! Chibi-Usa is doing the same thing for Hyena!"

"Uh…" Vesta was dumbfounded by Pallas' astute observation. "Well that's true too, but…"

Chibi-Moon interrupted her. "Maybe Hyena wants to test us because she doesn't want to go through the strain of losing more allies to Eris' twisted schemes."

"Indeed," Ceres agreed, "having to fight fellow Sailor Soldiers over something as petty as a crown can certainly put a toll on one's ability to trust others."

"I get that, but she doesn't have to be so reclusive toward us. She has to know that we live on a peaceful world and that we can rely on each other," Vesta argued.

"So you're saying you don't trust our leader's intuition."

Vesta growled a little and fumed, "Fine, I get it! I'll go along with it for now! But if I ever meet her myself, I'm gonna grill her real good for answers until I'm satisfied!"

Ceres shrugged and sighed, "You're impossible, you know that?"

Juno put a finger to her lip and said, "I'm quite curious about her too, although I don't want to push her too far since she already has some bad history with Eris and Selene."

"I'll just go with the flow! Whatever Chibi-Moon says has to be right!" Pallas chirped while raising her arm. "As long as Hyena is beating up the bad guys with us, I'm okay with it!"

"Simple as usual, huh?"

"Simple is always the best! Oh, by the way, Chibi-Moon," Pallas pointed at her leader. "What is that stick you've got there? Is it brand new?"

"Yeah, it is," Chibi-Moon replied. "The Pink Moon Stick changed into this Pink Lady's Regalia. Mama said it was the symbol of my friendship with you guys and Hyena, and it helped me defeat the Erisian."

"It's so pretty! Can I see it? Can I see it?"

Chibi-Moon handed Pallas the Regalia with a smile. She was happy to be rid of her doubts. If this whole thing proved anything to her, it was that Sailor Arsenic Hyena could be considered a friend. Perhaps an aloof and somewhat condescending girl with trust issues, but nonetheless a friend she could rely on. Chibi-Moon was always happy to make new friends, although she still felt bothered by the many mysteries surrounding Hyena – she could understand why the Quartet was so skeptical of her. Still, it was important to give her the space she needed to observe Earth's Sailor Soldiers and prove their worthiness.

Chibi-Moon felt obligated to not disappoint her new friend.


	14. Chapter 13: Covert Listening

**PRETTY SOLDIER SAILOR MOON: FUTURE**

**Chapter 13: Covert Listening**

Several days had passed since Sailor Chibi-Moon and Sailor Arsenic Hyena teamed up to defeat the Erisian in Azabu-Juuban. Nothing remarkable had happened since then, which gave them much-needed time to recuperate after so many assaults within the last two weeks. It was approaching the middle of July, so the heat was oppressive and unbearable. Unless people needed to go out, they would stay inside and sit in front of their fans while drinking cold water and watching television. It was one of those unbearably hot days that sapped one's energy and made them too lazy to do anything.

Inuken Midori likewise refused to go outside in this terrible heat. She had the last few days all to herself, which she spent mostly on cram school studies or cleaning her apartment. Now, however, she had shut herself in her bedroom and closed her curtains. Even though the sun was shining, she preferred to turn her desk lamp on for illumination as she opened the drawers beneath her bed and shuffled through her neatly folded clothes. She pulled a few shirts out to empty a particular drawer, and then slid the bottom off to reveal a hidden compartment with several bizarre gadgets tucked inside.

Midori took out these things and placed them on her desk. She opened the small metallic box and keyed in a series of numbers, then put a set of headphones over her ears as the box attempted to connect her to some other network. She fiddled with the receiver due to a lot of static, but she eventually found the right spot to get reasonably clear audio from.

"_Can you… occurred… while… Sailor Mercury…?"_ she heard a man's voice ask. She had to make more adjustments to get better sound quality.

"_Nothing much other than one image, King Endymion"_ a young woman's voice responded.

Indeed, what Midori was listening to was one of several spying devices she had planted within Crystal Palace while she had been there the one time as Sailor Arsenic Hyena. While she had been fleeing from the Sailor Soldiers, she also had the chance to plant some innocuous-looking objects like coins, pens, and tiny insect toys in key locations throughout the castle. These items then formed a network via the box on Midori's desk that she used to switch between lines and listen in on any happenings within Crystal Palace. If she hadn't done that, it would have been incredibly inconvenient for her to discern what the royal guardians were up to or if they had any information about Eris.

At the moment, she heard Sailor Mercury and Crystal Tokyo's king within the computer room. She had just caught the beginning of a discussion between them as they scoured through some data for a few moments.

"_There was something that one of the geosynchronous satellites managed to capture shortly before the Erisian's attack on Azabu-Juuban,"_ Mercury reported. _"Here, I'll pull it up. Hmm… This should be it. Pay attention to this spot."_

After a short pause, Midori heard King Endymion ask, _"Is that… a person?"_

"_They're wearing heavy robes and a mask, but I'm sure it's a person. The Apple of Discord was dropped from this point as well, which leads me to believe that they were responsible for it."_

"_The quality of the image isn't really that good. It's hard to tell who it is."_

"_It's possible that it could be Eris in disguise, or perhaps one of Eris' agents. It's clear that they are capable of handling Apples of Discord though. All of the other apples originated from beyond the stratosphere, so that must be their method of sending Erisians to Earth."_

Endymion grew more concerned. _"This is troubling. They can sneak up on Earth, drop an apple, then leave without much detection. Their base of operations must be beyond this world's reach, yet they can travel back and forth freely."_

Mercury suggested, _"We can always send up the decommissioned anti-guerilla satellites, but I don't know how much help they will be in capturing these people or finding their base."_

"_I don't know about the anti-guerilla, but there's always the option of sending a monitoring robot to find and observe their headquarters. Or we could somehow plant a tracer on one of those robed figures and have them lead us to it."_

Midori couldn't help but silently scoff at the irony of Endymion's suggestion.

"_That sounds like a good idea. Not only will the enemy not suspect it, but we won't cause unnecessary panic among the citizenry. If you'd like, I'll get to work on that,"_ Sailor Mercury said.

"_Right. I'll talk to Haruka and the others about them monitoring outside the solar system for anything suspicious."_

With that agreement reached, Midori could hear one of them leaving the computer room, their clicking footsteps getting quieter until nothing could be heard. The other person, presumably Mercury, typed away on a digital keyboard, the keys making distinct beeping noises in rapid succession. Midori figured she wouldn't learn anything else useful, so she cut the connection and safely stashed her listening equipment.

She left her darkened bedroom and went to her small kitchen to make dinner for herself. She had plenty to think about after listening in on Endymion and Mercury's discussion, although there wasn't really anything she could do in response as Sailor Arsenic Hyena. She was just as clueless as them regarding where Eris and/or her followers were located. Although she knew that Eris was the prime instigator of these latest events, she didn't know where her headquarters was so she could plan an effective counterattack. The only thing for certain was that it isn't on Earth, so it saved her the trouble of scouring the planet on a fool's errand.

Another thing that bothered her was the person wearing the heavy robes and mask. Unfortunately, when she planted listening devices as Arsenic Hyena, she didn't consider nor had the time to install a hacking program she had brought with her to pluck critical images and data from the castle's computer databanks. If Midori could somehow return to Crystal Palace, she would do just that. However, she couldn't risk returning because Sailors Uranus, Jupiter and Venus had been pursuing her at that time, and the palace would undoubtedly be on high alert. She knew that the Sailor Soldiers were itching to interrogate her fully, rather than get details in bits and pieces like she was doing.

Perhaps if she could take advantage of Chibi-Usa being the princess, Midori could figure out a way to return. But there was also the fact that Chibi-Usa had been explicitly told (in previous conversations she had listened in on) that she was not to tell anyone that she was part of Crystal Tokyo's royalty. Therefore, Chibi-Usa would not want to reveal this to Midori. That option was not feasible for her to pursue.

In the end, she figured that there was nothing she could do about it. Perhaps she would get the chance to meet this mysterious figure and force them to talk. She just had to remain vigilant and fight the Erisians while watching the Sailor Soldiers from the sidelines. Eventually, the enemy would grow tired of this tactic and attempt something more drastic. An impatient enemy acting without a plan was what Midori counted on to gain the advantage.

She finished cooking some noodles and sat down to eat. Her meal was uneventful for about five minutes until she heard her doorbell ring. She got up and peered through the peephole quickly, discovering a familiar blue-haired girl on the other side.

She unlocked the door and opened it, coolly remarking to her guest, "Good afternoon, PallaPalla."

"Good afternoon," the other girl replied in an unusually low tone.

"Is there something you require of me?"

"Hmm… Chibi-Usa told me that you don't like being bothered, but I don't really have a choice here…"

"That may be true when I'm studying, but I am not preoccupied at the moment."

"Then can I ask you a favor?" PallaPalla squeaked timidly.

Midori wasn't sure why she was acting so bashful, but she replied, "Come inside. You sound like you have some dire concerns."

She invited PallaPalla into her apartment. While Midori made tea, PallaPalla explained, "This is a little embarrassing for me to say in front of someone smart like you, but… Well, I did very, very bad in school last year."

"How bad are we talking about?"

"I only super-barely managed to scrape by! I'm awful at everything except gymnastics and art, and I really, really hate studying by myself!"

"So you're requesting me to be your study partner this evening?" Midori assumed.

"No, no, that's not it! I know you're super busy with your cram school and I don't wanna bug you!"

"Then what else could it be? I cannot imagine any other favor than that," Midori wondered as she handed PallaPalla her cup of tea.

She sipped it for a minute, then continued, "You see, I've been going to a friend's house to study with her."

"A friend's house? Do you not have Chibi-Usa and your sisters to form a study group?"

"No way!" PallaPalla waved her hand dismissively. "CereCere and JunJun are pretty smart, but none of us are really kind and patient geniuses like my friend! Besides, none of us are very good at kanji or math. All of us are just getting by even with lots and lots of studying. I'm still having a hard time writing the kanji for 'red', although 'mountain', 'sun' and 'mouth' are really easy."

"Of course they would be," Midori grumbled. "If you couldn't write those by grade two, you would be in real trouble…"

"_Anyway!"_ PallaPalla exclaimed, her cheeks flush with embarrassment. "What I wanted to ask you was to come with me to my friend's house!"

"I see. So you're requesting me to be an escort. Where have Chibi-Usa and the others gone for tonight?"

"They're hanging out at the arcade for the evening, but I have to keep my appointment! It's so tough… I wanna enjoy the summer, but I'm always bogged down like this."

"An 'appointment', you say? What kind of friend would need you to set up an appointment with them?"

"Ah, well…" PallaPalla twiddled her fingers. "It's Dr. Mizuno."


	15. Chapter 14: Intellectual Boundaries

**PRETTY SOLDIER SAILOR MOON: FUTURE**

**Chapter 14: Intellectual Boundaries**

Within the hour, the blue skies of Ginza started to slowly turn darker, although it was still bright enough to see without street lamps. PallaPalla and Midori left the apartment complex and walked side by side down the sidewalk towards Shinbashi district. They didn't talk much along the way since PallaPalla was preoccupied with playing video games on her handheld console while walking. Midori even had to stop her from absently walking onto an intersection while the light was red.

Once PallaPalla had mentioned the name of Japan's foremost doctor and researcher, Mizuno Ami, Midori found it impossible to refuse accompanying her to this study session. True, Midori didn't need the doctor's services, but she found it prudent to at least make her acquaintance early on. In addition, Midori knew that 'Mizuno Ami' was the civilian identity of Sailor Mercury, the Sailor Soldier she had just listened to on the spying device. It would be the perfect opportunity for her to observe both Sailors Pallas and Mercury in person, in case an Erisian decided to attack tonight.

After reaching Shinbashi, PallaPalla switched her console's function from gaming to GPS satellite to try and help them find the Mizuno residence.

"Um," Midori interjected, "this isn't your first time here, correct? Why do you still need a GPS to guide you?"

PallaPalla chuckled, "I keep forgetting! All of the buildings look the same, so I've always confused them before. One time I got so lost that I couldn't keep my appointment, so I just gave up and went home. Chibi-Usa gave this to me as a birthday present, and it's been a real lifesaver!"

"I see…" was Midori's unenthusiastic reply.

"Okay, so we go this way! We better hurry! We only have five minutes left!"

PallaPalla suddenly grabbed Midori's wrist and made her run with her towards a particular mansion. It doubled as a small clinic in the front and a residence in the back. The sign on the front had the traditional asklepian symbol plastered between the kanji for 'Mizuno'.

"Here we are! This is the Mizuno Clinic, where Dr. Mizuno works as a family prattishnier!" PallaPalla exclaimed.

"You mean 'practitioner', yes?"

"Something like that! We have to go around the back!"

The duo hurried along the quaint sidewalk to the backyard, where they found a blue-haired young woman in her mid-20s sitting on the back porch reading a novel. The woman removed her glasses and said, "You're here, PallaPalla."

"Yeah! I hope I'm not too late, Miss Ami!"

"You're right on time, actually. I just got back from work, and… Oh?" Ami blinked upon noticing Midori. "Who is this?"

PallaPalla shoved her annoyed friend in front and exclaimed, "This is our neighbor from the apartment we live in. Her name's Inuken Midori!"

"Good evening, doctor. She requested me to escort her here. I will wait in your living quarters until you are finished," Midori replied.

"Are you sure that's okay? Our sessions usually take up to two hours," Ami wondered.

"I am required to complete a mock thesis for the end of this week. I will utilize this interval to at least get the basics finalized."

"Who are you writing your paper for?" the doctor asked as she led the girls inside.

"Just for Crystal Seminar. It is a dissertation that serves to prepare students for university."

"I remember those," Ami said fondly, feeling awash with nostalgia. "Even today, I still fall back on Crystal Seminar's model for writing papers. So what is the topic you have chosen?"

"Utilizing GPS satellites to track wanted criminals based upon forensic DNA submitted to an international database."

Ami and PallaPalla blinked a few times. As PallaPalla was too stumped to ask what all of that gobbledygook meant, Ami intervened to ask, "D-Don't you think that's a little too advanced?"

"What part of it is too advanced, may I ask?"

"Even when I did mock theses, they were usually historical biographies of doctors and researchers who contributed to modern society. Such a topic would be quite difficult to complete without knowledge of forensics, DNA, medical terms, databasing techniques and computer sciences, not to mention the possibility of fraud or errors."

Midori gruffly sat down on a loveseat and retorted, "Did you forget that this is nothing more than a mock paper? It is not meant to be taken so seriously. My findings will be rudimentary at best; I do not intend to change the world as we know it. Allay such concerns and focus on tutoring PallaPalla. I am capable of handling my own affairs."

"S-Sure, if you say so," Ami sweated nervously. Although they shared the same desire for knowledge, Ami felt quite put off by Midori's attitude. It wasn't a holier-than-thou sort of vibe, but Ami felt like she had been abruptly pushed away and told to mind her own business.

As PallaPalla was growing fidgety with boredom, a fourth figure entered the living room. This person was taller than any of the girls and had back-length orange hair tied into a low ponytail. He wore a simple t-shirt and pants while wiping his wet hands with a towel.

"You're finally here, PallaPalla," he grinned.

"It's been a while, Mr. Shougo!" the girl waved cheerfully at him. "What did you make for me today?"

"Hey, hey, don't be such a spoiled brat. Just because I make cookies often doesn't mean I make them just for you."

"You meanie! Then can I take some flowers home?"

"You better not do that. Ami might think that I'm cheating on her."

Everyone except Midori laughed at his joke. Ami leaned in towards Midori and told her in a low voice so the others wouldn't hear, "That's my fiancé, Masuyoshi Shougo. He's a florist for a shop nearby, and he helps me out with the clinic whenever he can."

"I see. Congratulations," Midori replied in a jejune manner while glancing around at the unusual number of roses placed in vases around the house. She wasn't really interested in Shougo, as she was more concerned with unpacking her books and getting ready for some much-desired quiet study time. She could hear Ami and PallaPalla introducing her to him, so she just gave him a slight nod and tried to go back to reading.

Shougo picked up one of Midori's books and commented with a whistle, "'Forensic DNA Profiling', huh? That's some pretty technical stuff for someone your age."

"I already told her that, but she insisted on researching some futuristic topics," Ami giggled. "It's rather charming to see someone thinking outside the box at such a young age."

"No kidding."

Midori slammed her textbook shut so loud that the noise reverberated across the hallways, startling everyone into silence.

"How frustrating…" she growled.

PallaPalla was bug eyed. She whimpered, "What's the matter, Midori?"

"Is there supposed to be an age limit in what my curiosities are? Do I have to retard my learning capabilities in order to mimic other people my age? Do I need to veil my intellectual capacity to curb such persistently annoying and uncalled for remarks? Everywhere I go, it is always the same thing; I'm too advanced, or I'm pursuing the impossible, or I shouldn't be in this or that school. Either I sacrifice my desire for learning to conform to the hive-minded masses, or I maintain my stance and risk constant rejection. Japan has defined that border, and I must strafe either one or the other without compromise."

Ami raised her hands in defense and uttered, "Midori, I'm sorry. We didn't know…"

Midori gave the doctor a sharp look, effectively shutting her up.

"It is just as I theorized. This country's extreme left-wing ideology has resulted in entire generations of children being subjected to an unbroken, homogeneous education that hasn't evolved since the days of their ancestors. They are constantly preparing for exams designed to be the outside world's measure of 'testing' their capabilities. In reality, intellectual minds are merely being manufactured through these intense processes with little forethought to the individual's future goals.

"Those who cannot conform to this system, whether through impaired learning like PallaPalla or excessive mental capacity such as myself, are deemed failures and/or outcasts both within and without. This also explains Japan's unusually high rate of suicides; committing seppuku to atone for these perceived faults is silently approved as homage to the lost ways of the samurai - a small way of holding on to their rapidly declining culture. This country does a stellar job of hiding its communist and traditionalist stigmas behind a curtain of democracy, high GDP ratings, and technological advancements."

Shougo looked rather befuddled, but Ami felt the sting of the younger girl's words and grabbed her arm nervously.

"Midori, I don't understand what you're saying…" PallaPalla moaned and fidgeted. "You're using lots of those hard words again, and you sound really mad about something."

"Pardon me," the green-haired girl apologized vapidly, settling down after her rant. "It's nothing more than my usual jaded rambling. You and Dr. Mizuno should get started on your studies."

"Okay. But if you're ever mad about something, you can talk to me. Just don't use those big words."

"I'll keep that in mind."


	16. Chapter 15: Study Time

**PRETTY SOLDIER SAILOR MOON: FUTURE**

**Chapter 15: Studying Time**

Ami and PallaPalla went upstairs to the doctor's study room. As always, it was neat and tidy, with shelves lined with thick medical textbooks and reference books. Her computer was a smart-looking desk that had a laptop built right into it, so all she had to do was flip open the lid to turn on the monitor and light up a keyboard hidden underneath it. PallaPalla absolutely loved playing games on this 'deskputer', but she had to restrain herself and focus on studying.

Ami found some notebooks and papers relating to PallaPalla's studies and sat at the table with her. For the next half hour, they concentrated on math until PallaPalla was able to solve a difficult problem without Ami's assistance. The young doctor reviewed her pupil's work and smiled, satisfied that she did everything correctly.

"Very good. Let's take a short break," she commented.

"Phew," PallaPalla wiped her brow. "That was really, really hard. I don't know how you make it look so easy, Miss Ami."

"Well, we all have different strengths and weaknesses."

"You mean you have weaknesses too?"

"Of course I do. I might be smart, but I'm still human too."

"Hmm…" PallaPalla nodded, looking as if her mind was on something else.

Ami asked, "Is something bothering you?"

"Maybe... It's about all those fancy words that Midori said earlier. What did she mean when she said something about a left wing? I don't think she was talking about a bird, but what else could wings refer to?"

Ami giggled softly. "Don't worry about it. At least you understand that she was talking about something else. I think you should focus on understanding simpler terms before trying to expand your vocabulary like that."

"Oh, okay. So that means that Midori's 'boukabulerry' was a lot better than mine. I think it's amazing that she used a lot of those hard words, yet she's going into the same grade as us. She's going to cram school during the summer, so maybe she's learning all of that there. Oh! Maybe she's mimicking someone she knows there!"

The young doctor's expression became solemn as she silently placed her opened book down and removed her rimless glasses. "The same grade, you say?"

"Yep! She said she was going to Juuban Municipal Primary School like the rest of us. I don't really know why. Her parents are rich and she could go to the school in Ginza if she wanted. Then again, so could Chibi-Usa!" PallaPalla chuckled.

"You're going into grade five, right?"

"Mm-hmm."

Ami was seemingly lost in thought. "I don't understand it. What she said back there… She definitely knew what she meant, and her tone was very cold. If that's what she believes about Japan's education system, why would she want to attend school anyway? I'm sure she could take aptitude exams to gauge her real IQ and get placed into a higher grade…"

"Miss Ami?" the immature student cocked her head right in front of the troubled woman's face.

"Oh, um… I'm sorry, PallaPalla! I really shouldn't be thinking such things right now. All right, let's get started on some kanji."

"Blehh, I hate kanji!"

"It's like I said before; think of it as drawing fancy pictures."

PallaPalla wanted to complain, but she knew Ami would help her out as best as she could. To lighten the mood a bit, the student exclaimed, "Oh well, at least it's better than what the queen can do!"

"P-P-PallaPalla! Don't say things like that!" Ami blushed profusely, resisting the urge to laugh with her pupil.

As they joked around at Queen Serenity's expense, if either of them had look outside at the dimming night sky, they would have noticed a violet glint in the darkness for a split second…

* * *

Way up in Earth's stratosphere, Varan appeared in a flash of purple light shaped like a dragon and gazed upon the blue planet. Although she was impressed by its magnificence, as Apis claimed in her report, she said nothing about it. Varan adjusted the viewfinder in her dragon-themed mask to zoom in on Tokyo, eventually sighting the Mizuno Clinic's sign. She scoured the place for a moment until she came upon a window where she could see Midori clearly.

Varan felt a wave of nostalgia hit her upon seeing the green-haired girl studying intently. She remembered the younger girl from back in the day – always quiet and focused on something, but also appearing tired and listless. Even now to Varan, Midori looked vapid and detached, as if she had shut out the world around her and was only concerned with whatever she concentrated on.

"As to be expected of our former strategist," Varan murmured. "Always so diligent and precise. If only she would return to our side, then Naja would not be so heartbroken…"

With a newfound determination, Varan raised her hand out to materialize an Apple of Discord, then commanded it, "My servant! Find the one named Sailor Arsenic Hyena and bring her back to Upala Acropolis alive! Destroy any and all obstacles that stand in your way!"

She sent the golden apple flying toward Tokyo, and Varan departed the same way she came.

* * *

Back downstairs, Midori continued working on her mock thesis, parsing through a book on forensic DNA analysis. Although she understood the basics behind the science, she still needed to understand the more difficult aspects of it such as different DNA profiling systems, the structure of a strand of DNA, and how to cope with unusual circumstances such as chimerism and fake DNA evidence. She figured she wouldn't get too in-depth with those problems until she first sorted out the theory behind this technology she wanted to introduce in her paper.

While deeply engrossed in her work, Midori heard Shougo walking around as he attended to duties like cleaning dishes and organizing the fridge. When he finished his chores, he entered the living room and sat on the sofa nearby. His gaze was fixated on her for a minute or two. It was difficult for him to forget about what she said earlier – about how she compared Japan's educational system to a manufacturing plant and that it made people miserable enough to commit suicide. If Ami was bothered by it, Shougo would do what he could to console his fiancée.

First though, he wanted to talk to Midori about her behavior, but he wasn't sure how to go about it when she was so preoccupied with her work. Fortunately, she gave him the opportunity he needed.

"… Is there something you need from me?" Midori asked without even looking at him.

"This is my house. I should be able to relax wherever I so choose," Shougo coolly replied.

"I suppose."

"But now that you mention it, I do have something I want to ask. Don't you think you were being too harsh to Ami?"

"In what way?"

"She was just concerned for you. Not even her mock theses were as difficult as yours. She was worried that you might be in too over your head."

"What I study is none of her business," Midori said. "There comes a point when concern turns into persistent meddling in others' affairs. I had to put my foot down and declare my independence from Japan's systems – so that her so-called concerns don't drag me into the mindless swarm of flies called society."

"Now you're being rude," Shougo narrowed his eyes and rested his chin upon his hands. "Who gave you the right to hoist yourself on a pedestal and lambast everyone else?"

"My intentions are not as egotistical as you imagine. I don't want to raise or lower myself in comparison with everyone else. I simply wish to separate myself from such a distasteful mindset. Call it intentional segregation, if you'd like."

"Intentional segregation…?" Shougo couldn't help but chuckle a little. "I've never heard of such a thing. I think you just want to be left alone, and you see everyone as chains on your feet dragging you down."

Finally, Midori glanced up from her reading and gave him a sharp glare. It made him feel surprisingly uneasy. After a tense pause, she murmured, "If you are extending a request for me to leave, then I would be more than happy to. I assume you will be responsible for bringing PallaPalla back home."

He retorted, "I never said anything like that. You're welcome to stay as long as you'd like. But I would like see some friendlier behavior from you in the future, Miss Inuken. I won't allow any arguments of any kind to happen in my home. Is that understood?"

She didn't respond right away, but she could understand his sentiment. He had rules, and he wanted her to follow them. She would expect the same from him if he were to stop by her apartment. She was about to reply in the affirmative, but that was when they suddenly heard a pair of loud shrieks pierce the air from upstairs. They shot to their feet and Shougo shouted, "Ami! PallaPalla!"

He charged straight for the stairs, but quickly turned around and commanded to Midori, "Stay right there! I don't want you getting into any trouble!"

"You mean you don't want me causing any trouble, yes?"

"Grr… I don't have time for this! Ami! Are you all right!?" Shougo yelled. As he retreated out of Midori's sight, he pulled out a pink rose from his pocket and allowed the petals to fly off, transforming his plain clothes into a stark grey military uniform with green trim. He wasn't Masuyoshi Shougo anymore; now he was Zoisite, one of King Endymion's Four Generals.

Zoisite reached the door to Ami's study and tried to pry it open, but it was sealed tight. He found it extremely odd since that door didn't have a lock on it, so something from the inside might have been causing this. He knocked on the door and exclaimed, "Ami! PallaPalla! Are you all right in there!?"

Meanwhile, Midori heard the man frantically yelling upstairs, although she didn't know he had become his Four Generals persona. She figured this was the perfect opportunity to transform into her Sailor Soldier identity. She adjusted the apatite ring on her right ring finger and got ready for the transformation…


	17. Chapter 16: Wormhole to Nowhere

**PRETTY SOLDIER SAILOR MOON: FUTURE**

**Chapter 16: Wormhole to Nowhere**

Ami and PallaPalla had been alarmed when Varan's Apple of Discord soared through the open window and immediately engulfed one of Ami's textbooks with dark worm-like tendrils. The morphed book then opened its pages and grew so large that it could engulf the astonished pair, sending them into a bizarre dimension of darkness and blotting colors that changed at random. Near them was a large version of the textbook lying on its side, which opened on its own and conjured text and symbols to rain upon them. Ami had to jump back a few paces while PallaPalla cartwheeled and flipped about gracefully.

"No way! What's going on here!?" PallaPalla exclaimed.

Ami kept calm as she ordered, "Call Chibi-Usa!"

"Okay!" the younger girl replied and flipped open a watch-like device on her wrist. She pressed a button to transmit her voice to her partners. "Chibi-Usa, where are you!?"

The other girl replied, _"I'm walking to the clinic to visit you guys."_

"Miss Ami and I are being attacked by an Erisian! We need you here ASAP!"

"_Seriously!? Okay, I'll be right there!"_

After cutting the line, PallaPalla stood next to Ami and they raised their transformation sticks.

"**Mercury Crystal Power, Make Up!"**

"**Pallas Quartet Power, Make Up!"**

Freezing water swirled around Ami's body and enveloped her, creating a ripple effect that changed the water into her Sailor Soldier outfit. PallaPalla balanced her toes atop a large blue ball and danced in an impressive ballerina-like pose as miniature orbs surrounded her like chains and morphed into her costume.

Sailor Mercury declared to the Erisian, "I am the Sailor Soldier of Wisdom and Exams, Sailor Mercury! Douse your head in water and repent!"

Sailor Pallas followed with, "I am the Sailor Soldier of Orbs and Celebration, Sailor Pallas! Let the festivities of a villain's defeat begin!"

The textbook Erisian shook about until it propped itself up on its end and shot pages into the air that morphed into portals. Then something horrifyingly eerie inched its head from the book pages before shooting straight for one of the portals and warping around the Sailor Soldiers. From what little they could see of it, the abomination resembled a gigantic worm with sharp teeth, a long tongue, and corrosive saliva dripping from its fangs while the Apple of Discord was lodged in its head, visibly functioning as the worm's brain.

Pallas scrunched her face and yelped, "That's just disgusting!"

"Here it comes!" Mercury shouted, remaining on guard as she watched the monster's movements through the portals. It passed by above them and spat acid at them, forcing them to jump aside.

"I can't take this gross stuff anymore! I'll shut you up good!" Pallas raged angrily as she summoned a large blue orb over her head and chucked it at the enemy, intent on jamming it into its mouth like a large piece of jawbreaker candy. Her plan backfired when a page tore out of the book and formed a warphole right in front of the Erisian, teleporting Pallas' ball through another hole and causing it to tackle her. Despite its size, it was moving too fast for her to react, and she was sent flying to the ground.

"**Shabon Spray Freezing!"** Mercury called out, summoning some bubbles in her hands.

This attack was similar to Shabon Spray, except this time the fog was much colder than usual. Even though she was dealing with a gigantic worm, a worm was still an insect, and she knew that insects didn't like the cold. She hoped the freezing air she just created would weaken the Erisian and give Pallas a chance to attack again.

However, the creature anticipated her attack and opened another portal directly in front of Mercury. Before she could register what was going on, she broke the bubbles into the gap by mistake. At first, nothing happened, and she thought that it had banished her attack. Then she heard Pallas call out, "Miss Mercury, behind you!"

The older Sailor Soldier discovered that a second portal had been opened behind her, which blew the Shabon Spray Freezing fog right onto her. She felt her limbs and cheeks go cold as small ice crystals formed on her skin.

"This can't be!" she gasped, shivering helplessly.

"Haaaahhh!" Pallas screamed, charging into the fog and grabbing Mercury's waist, pulling her out of the arctic air before it could freeze her entirely. She stood in front while the stricken young woman kneeled and shivered to warm herself back up. The Erisian suddenly popped out of another portal and tried to eat them alive with a lunging attack, but Pallas called out, **"Pallas Orb: Fortress!"** She summoned more blue orbs and made them stick together until they formed an impenetrable wall that the monster painfully collided against. It tried repeatedly to break through, but Pallas valiantly kept the wall up until Mercury recovered.

Back in the hallway, Zoisite was still having trouble opening the door to the study room. He was about to try using a blast of greenish lightning he created in his palms to blast it off, but then he heard light footsteps from the stairway. Sailor Arsenic Hyena was there, poised to shoot an arrow.

On the side, she thought, _So I was right. This gentleman is one of the king's subordinates._

"You're that girl from the palace…" Zoisite remembered her. "When did you-?"

"Move aside," Hyena glowered. She fired her shot straight at the doorknob seconds after he jerked his hand away. The arrow pierced through the knob and allowed Zoisite to pry open the door. They peered inside and discovered the freakish parallel world, with Sailors Mercury and Pallas doing what they could to fight against the worm Erisian. The two Soldiers looked like they were having great trouble with it though.

"Zoisite!" Mercury exclaimed happily.

"You're here too, Hyena!" Pallas remarked.

"We'll back you up!" Zoisite declared, leaping into the dimension-room and creating a large icicle, hurling it at the monster. It retaliated by commanding the large textbook to shoot hundreds of razor-sharp pages at the ice, pulverizing it and catching Zoisite off guard in the air. Pallas shouted, **"Pallas Orb: Barrage!"** and threw dozens of blue orbs at the paper barrage, countering it before they could reach the stunned general. Hyena used this chance to dash in behind the worm monster and fire some arrows at the Apple of Discord in its head. However, they proved to be ineffective – the projectiles just embedded themselves into the metallic flesh and made the unfazed Erisian turn around.

"Just like last time…" she whispered. She jumped backwards as it shot more acid from its throat at her. It tried again, but Mercury called out, **"Shine Aqua Illusion!"** and sent a jet of cold water at the corrosive fluid, freezing it whole and making it shatter like glass before it could reach Hyena. Pallas and Zoisite caught its attention again with more attacks, making it focus on them while Mercury joined up with Hyena.

"The Apple of Discord needs to be destroyed as soon as possible," Hyena said. "But I won't be able to do it unless Sailor Chibi-Moon is here."

"I've heard about how you teamed up with her a while back," Mercury commented. "So only the power from the Pink Lady's Regalia and your piercing arrows will break through the apple's skin?"

"At the moment, yes. Discovering more ways of accomplishing this task would be most useful."

"Pallas just called for Chibi-Moon to come here, so the best we can do is stall it. But it's jumping through these portals at random and countering our attacks at an astonishing rate."

"Are you certain that its movements are not predetermined?" Hyena wondered.

"Even if I tried to analyze it, it will take too much time, and the Erisian might get stronger by then," Mercury nervously shook her head.

"Then our only option is to utilize arbitrary movements as well."

"Yes. The enemy's greatest strength often winds up being its weakness too. I have a plan, but I need all three of you to follow my instructions."

"I don't mind. Tell me what it is and I will convey it to Pallas and Zoisite."

Mercury quickly explained her idea to Hyena, then finished by adding, "You need to be discreet. It's figuring out our attack patterns faster than we can come up with new ways to counter them."

"That means it's either evolving at a tremendous rate or it's already highly intelligent… Whatever the case may be, you can rely on me to send the message."

Mercury conjured up another Shabon Spray to disorient the Erisian before it could attempt to swallow Zoisite whole, and Pallas kicked a large orb against its face to knock it back.

"Hah hah! How do you like me now, punk!?" Pallas taunted, pulling her eyelid down and sticking her tongue out. She suddenly felt Hyena place her hand on her shoulder. Pallas almost squeaked aloud, but Hyena covered her mouth and hissed, "Do exactly as I say."

"Wha-?"

Hyena whispered about Pallas' part of Mercury's plan into her ear, then said, "Wait for my signal."

"O-Okay…"

Hyena managed to reach Zoisite as well and told him what was going on. He smirked and kept his distance from the furious monster. He wasn't surprised that his future wife would devise such a clever scheme on short notice. The fog slowly dissipated, revealing that the creature had torn more pages from the giant book and created dozens of portals for it to fly through.


	18. Chapter 17: Teamwork Symphony

**PRETTY SOLDIER SAILOR MOON: FUTURE**

**Chapter 17: Teamwork Symphony**

After Chibi-Usa had received the distress call from PallaPalla, she hurried on her short legs as fast as she could towards the Mizuno Clinic. She knew where it was just by memory, but she was afraid that everyone there would be in serious trouble without her. The Sailor Soldiers still hadn't discovered an alternate way to destroy the Apples of Discord, so everything rested on Chibi-Usa being there at the right place and the right time. Unfortunately, it didn't work out this time.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Chibi-Usa thought it was strange. If Eris was leading an evil army against the Royal Family, why would it attack somewhere that she wasn't at? She was sure that Eris would be targeting her or her mother for the Silver Crystal, so this attack made no sense at all in that context. Was there something else going on that they didn't know about yet?

_What are the Erisians trying to look for?_ She wondered as she kept running. _Do they really want the Silver Crystal, or are they just looking to harvest as much discord from Earth's citizens as they can? Or could it be both at the same time?_

She couldn't answer any of her questions, and it frustrated her. She had to keep focused and think about rescuing PallaPalla and the others.

* * *

Sailor Arsenic Hyena began the team's new strategy by somersaulting in the air and landing squarely in front of the creature. It opened its mouth to show off its heinous teeth, but she wasn't deterred. It tried to chew down on her body, but she jumped and grabbed its head to vault herself upon it, then jammed an arrow into the skin and injected it with her trademark poisons before jumping off. The poison coursed its way through the blood vessels, causing the inhuman monster to become disoriented. It struggled to find the girl who just caused this pain when it spotted a childish blue-garbed girl in the distance.

"HEEEY! Over here, over here!" Sailor Pallas taunted, slapping her buttocks at the confused monster. It howled and scooted toward her at a fast pace, intent on ramming her down. She cartwheeled out of the way. Zoisite stood way behind where she was and sent a large ball of energy directly into its mouth, exploding inside the trachea and spurting smoke out. It reeled for a few moments, but it absorbed the panicked energy emitted by the fighters and used it to heal the damage.

"**Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!"** Sailor Mercury shouted in the distance, summoning her Mercury Harp to string a soothing melody with her graceful fingers. Blue sparkles turned into ice crystals, and further into a jet of cold water that streamed straight for the opened book. The Erisian was shocked that she would attempt to attack its source for warp holes, although she wasn't really 'attacking' it so much as freezing it solid with her magic. The book was encased in solid ice that wouldn't melt for a while, so the monster couldn't rip more pages out to create new portals.

While the beast was busy trying to sort this problem out, Sailor Arsenic Hyena directed her bow at one of the gaps and whispered, **"Quiescent Hail."**

Her fired arrow soundlessly split itself into hundreds of copies that traversed the portal and emerged through another one, shooting straight for another hole, then another, then another. The Erisian tried to jump through a free gap just to keep itself mobile, but Zoisite was ready with a barrage of icicles and hurled those into the same hole, creating the same jumping effect that Hyena's arrows did. Sailor Pallas faced another free portal and used Pallas Orb: Barrage again to send hundreds of balls into it as well.

Now there were three different streams of deadly attacks leaping through the holes in space and occupying them, preventing the Erisian from using any of them for jumping. The livid monster howled with a piercing shriek and regurgitated a wad of acid at the four warriors. They dashed out of the way in time, giving it the chance to fire acid at the three weapon barrages. They melted harmlessly, but that would prove to be a big mistake.

"**Dew of Death,"** Hyena murmured, firing her explosive shot at the monster's back. It dug into the flesh easily and detonated with such force that chunks of meat were sent flying everywhere. It wasn't enough to kill it as it had to worry about regenerating its skin, but it clearly was in severe agony.

Mercury exclaimed, **"Shabon Spray Freezing!"**

_This_ time it worked. The insectoid creature now felt the full chill of Mercury's arctic fog, and ice crystals quickly propagated on its body, invading even the injury that Hyena just caused. The Apple of Discord shone gold on the worm's head, and everyone could see the evil spirit fuming within it as it tried to fight against the intense cold.

"It ain't giving up without a fight, huh!?" Pallas raged.

"Not if I can help it," Zoisite grinned, creating lightning in his fingertips and hurling it at the apple. Since its protective barrier was made of gold, it could conduct the electricity easily and viciously burn the evil soul from within. The barrier was still strong, but the malevolent spirit was disoriented. It was at this time that they heard someone rushing to the opened doorway to the unusual parallel dimension world. To the warriors' greatest relief, it was Sailor Chibi-Moon.

"I'm here!" she yelled and brought forth the Pink Lady's Regalia. "Hyena!"

"Understood."

The two Sailor Soldiers jumped together and stood back-to-back with their weapons at the ready.

"**Sweet Cupid Straight Shoot!"**

The pink-and-silver projectile broke through the Apple of Discord's shell and pulverized the evil spirit inside into nothing, causing the worm-like Erisian to dissipate and the distorted dimension world to vanish. Ami's study room returned to normal, leaving the befuddled warriors standing around. Mercury noticed some small dark object in her vision and discovered an apple seed on the carpet that she knew wasn't there before.

"Thank goodness, I made it in time," Chibi-Moon sighed as everyone relaxed. She said to Hyena, "Your timing is as impeccable as ever. How do you know where the Erisians are going to show up?"

"That's for me to know," the green-haired Sailor Soldier replied, although in all honesty, she seriously had no idea. Chibi-Moon's question raised some suspicions about the enemy's movements. It annoyed Hyena that she still couldn't find any clues about Eris or her minions, despite knowing that their headquarters were not on Earth. The only thing she had to go on was the unknown image of some strange figure in Earth's stratosphere dropping Apples of Discord…

Now that the thought was on her mind, Hyena asked Mercury, "By the way, I want to ask you someth-"

She stopped herself.

"What is it?" Mercury asked.

_I can't ask her!_ Hyena realized. She had silenced herself upon recalling that she had acquired that knowledge without Mercury or Endymion's knowledge, and she didn't ask anyone else about it. If she were to ask, "What did the person in the satellite photo look like?" then Mercury's question would inevitably be, "How do you know about that photo?" The barrage of questions would no doubt lead to her spying gadgets hidden within Crystal Palace, thus causing mistaken suspicion that she was an enemy spy. She couldn't risk it. It was impossible for her to know what the photo was by asking them.

"It's nothing," Hyena replied. "I should be going now."

"Hold on!" Pallas implored as the other girl walked towards the window and stepped on the pane. Chibi-Moon held Pallas' hand and said, "Don't worry. We made a promise to respect each other's privacy. She'll tell us everything when she's ready."

Hyena frowned. Apparently Chibi-Moon felt compelled to say that after her, "That's for me to know," statement. She thought the princess was sometimes a little _too_ trusting. She wasn't going to complain about it if it gave her the needed advantage. With that, Hyena leapt outside and disappeared into the night.

"She certainly is a strange one," Mercury remarked, then asked Zoisite, "That's right. Midori is still downstairs, isn't she?"

Chibi-Moon answered in his stead, "I didn't see her when I was rushing upstairs."

"Could she have run away then?"

"I'll go check on her," Zoisite replied, transforming back into his Masuyoshi Shougo identity and running downstairs. The three Sailor Soldiers used this opportunity to morph back into civilian form as well. Shougo returned to the living room and found it empty, although the front door was wide open. He looked outside and found a tense Midori standing on the lawn and staring up at the study room.

"There you are. What are you doing out here?" he wondered.

Midori nervously admitted, "I came out here to see if there was something wrong. Is everything okay now?"

"Yes, we're fine. A bird just flew through the window, that's all."

"Perhaps you should consider getting a screen installed."

"I definitely should. I wouldn't want to hear a scream like that again. Let's get back inside – the nights are getting chilly around here."

Midori followed Shougo back inside the residence, confident that he didn't suspect she was the Sailor Soldier who just left through that very same window.

* * *

In Upala Acropolis, the headquarters of the Animus Syndicate, a piercing slap could be heard across the gilded hallways of the palace. Naja toppled backwards after receiving the blow from an irate Sailor Upala.

"You still haven't found the Silver Crystal!?" she raged.

The other three Camarilla wanted to help their partner to her feet, but she stopped them and got up on her own. She bowed and replied, "I'm terribly sorry, Your Excellency. Earth's Sailor Soldiers have proven to be more valiant than we realized."

"I don't care about that! I need the Silver Crystal in my hands _now_! You four are professional spies, aren't you!? Do whatever it takes to get it to me! You understand, don't you!?"

"Of course we do," Naja nodded. "We still have a few tactics to be tried out. If they don't work, then we will consider scaling up our efforts."

"Ugh, why not just 'scale up' your efforts _now_!? Make Earth's royal family surrender to me as soon as possible! Poison the water! Take hostages! Destroy everything and everyone they hold dear if you have to! I need them to understand that the crown of victory belongs to me – the strongest Sailor Soldier in all of Alkima! The Silver Crystal will all but assure my supremacy over Alkima and this backwards galaxy!"

Upala narrowed her eyes and glowered, "Then your planets will be saved as well. If I acquire the Silver Crystal, not only will I become Alkima's Queen, but I will salvage your worlds from the depths of ruin and promote them to become four of my most valued subservient worlds. That's the very reason you've all agreed to be my vassals, is it not?"

"Absolutely. We have faith that you will help our civilizations," Naja replied.

"Then I can't help you unless you help me, understand? It works both ways here. Go on, get out of my sight, and don't come back sniveling to me unless you have the Silver Crystal as an offering."

"Yes, ma'am."

The Camarilla left Upala in the courtyard and returned to their quarters in an angry and spiteful mood, especially Gyps.

"If only that witch Eris wasn't giving her so much power, I would have wrung that harlot's neck through my fingers until her head popped off!" the red-robed woman growled, twitching her claws in a sinister manner.

"This is bad," Apis frowned. "If we keep trying to apprehend Sailor Arsenic Hyena without concentrating on the royal family, Upala is going to become suspicious. Next time, we need to attack either Neo Queen Serenity or Small Lady Serenity if we're to produce any reliable results."

Varan admitted, "As loathe as I am to agree with Upala, she is correct about the Silver Crystal being able to save our worlds. I was not certain if Small Lady was near Hyena or not, which is an oversight on my part."

Naja rubbed her searing cheek and murmured, "I wish there was some way to get the Silver Crystal and keep it out of Upala's hands without harming Hyena…"

Gyps shook with anger and grabbed an Apple of Discord from a nearby vine, her mouth scowling viciously.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing!?" Apis shouted.

"I've had enough of this underhanded business! I'm gonna do this _my_ way!"

"I'm going to guess that you don't have a plan."

"Don't underestimate me, kid! Just because I'm pissed off doesn't mean I haven't got a few aces up my sleeve! Just you wait! I'm gonna solve all of our problems in one fell swoop!"

Gyps disappeared in a red flash, leaving the others stunned about her sudden exit. Varan asked Naja, "Is this wise? I can only foresee many issues if we are to leave things up to her."

"Not much we can do about it now," Naja said. "When Gyps gets like that, there's no stopping her. I figured she would act like that after seeing me get slapped anyway."

"If you insist."


	19. Chapter 18: Testing Resolve

**PRETTY SOLDIER SAILOR MOON: FUTURE**

**Chapter 18: Testing Resolve**

Shougo and Midori found the other three in the living room, and Midori blinked in mock surprise, "Chibi-Usa? When did you get here?"

"Ah, Midori! Sorry 'bout that! I was nearby, so I called PallaPalla and she sounded really spooked about the bird that just flew in Ami's study. She wanted the three of us to go home together."

"I see," she replied, impressed that Chibi-Usa and Shougo could corroborate their made-up stories so quickly.

"The nights get kind of dark and lonely too. I'm super happy that Chibi-Usa and Midori are going to walk me home now!" PallaPalla held the others' hands joyfully.

"Hey, that hurt's! You're squishing my hand!" Chibi-Usa exclaimed.

"You like it! Go on and admit it!"

"I do not! It really hurts!"

"Now, now, don't bicker with each other," Shougo stopped them. "I should make something warm for you three to have on the way home."

"Yaaay! Zap some cookies in the microwave for me please!" PallaPalla pleaded.

Ami chuckled at the playful scene while absently picking up Midori's thesis outlines and reading them over carefully. She was still bothered by how Midori was going into the same grade as Chibi-Usa and the others despite her advanced intellectual curiosities. The paper she held only seemed to confirm this worry. She kept reading the hypothesis over and over again:

"_Utilizing GPS satellites to track wanted criminals based upon forensic DNA submitted to an international database."_

_Using a satellite to track a criminal… Based upon DNA... In a database…_ Ami thought deeply.

Something seemed to click in her head. Could she expand on this idea to combat the problem of the mysterious enemies who were sending Apples of Discord upon Tokyo? She remembered the apple seed she picked up from the battle site – she originally wanted to analyze the Erisian's energy, but could she use it so that remote satellites would recognize the energy signature and destroy the apples before they even left the stratosphere? If the theory worked, then the Sailor Soldiers could thwart Erisians before they could even be born in the first place.

Ami felt a surge of excitement within her. She couldn't wait to get back to the palace and try this out!

"Excuse me, doctor," Midori's voice interrupted Ami's imaginings. She extended her hand and muttered, "I'm going to need those."

"O-Oh, right…" Ami noticed the younger girl packing her books in her bag and getting ready to leave. "Actually, Midori, could I photocopy these notes? They look really interesting."

"I'm not sure about that. I don't think you would be interested in some elementary school child's fantasy technology."

"That's not true. Maybe I can offer some input to it if I think of anything."

"So you're not considering the idea foolish anymore?"

"I never thought of it that way to begin with," Ami said, although she felt like she was half-lying. She brought Midori to the photocopier in another room and began making copies of the thesis papers. However, Ami also wanted to lure Midori away from Chibi-Usa and PallaPalla so she could ask her some serious questions in private.

"Midori… I understand you're going into grade five, yes?"

"That's correct."

"If it's all right with you, can I ask you a few test-based questions?"

Midori wasn't sure what to make of Ami's change in attitude, but she assumed it had to do with the whole 'entering the wrong grade' issue from earlier. She folded her arms and answered, "Go ahead."

"All right. According to the periodic table, what number is given to the element of gold?"

"I believe that is..." Midori thought for a moment, imagining the chart in her mind. She then answered, "It's 79."

"Good. Next, please write the kanji for 'candle' on this paper for me."

Midori spent a minute writing, then returned it to Ami. She blinked in surprise, recognizing the characters from her own studies.

"Very good. Now for a history question. Which historical event happened first in the 15th century – Columbus discovering America, Joan of Arc leading the French, or Ivan the Great ruling Russia as Czar?"

"That would be…" Midori pondered again, trying to attach years to each of the events. Then she responded, "Joan of Arc."

Now Ami looked more concerned. She abruptly changed the subject. "Midori, if you don't mind me asking, do you think it's necessary for you to enter grade five?"

The younger girl's eyes narrowed. "Again with these pointless concerns. Is there a problem with that?"

"I don't think it's a problem, but I'm just worried that you might feel intellectually constrained. Most people wouldn't know the answers to those questions off the top of their head without engaging in some serious research first, and PallaPalla told me you were attending cram school every day. I think you're very smart, and I worry that you might not be entering the appropriate grade for your IQ level. I could always arrange for you to take some aptitude tests and see if-"

Midori stopped her with a blunt groan. "Is IQ the only thing you can think of? Then again, you being Japan's first and foremost medical researcher is proof enough of such narrow thinking."

Ami was astounded by the roundabout insult. "What you mean?"

"PallaPalla told me that you've had the highest IQ possible for many years, but you still attended junior high and high school like regular students did. Didn't you consider the same thing?"

"I did," Ami mused. "But my mother wanted me to be surrounded by people my age, those who I could be friends with more easily than if I went to a university- Ah!"

"Well, there you go," Midori affirmed plainly. "Everyone around me recognizes my intellectual talent, but my parents worry that my ability to interact with others has been stunted as a result."

"I see…" the doctor gasped as she made an epiphany: Midori was in the same situation that Ami was back in junior high.

Ami thought back to her days as a teenager in the 20th century, hanging out with her fellow Sailor Soldiers as regular teenagers with typical worries of that age group; before those happy days, she was always alone in some studying room always preparing for the next national exam. She managed to overcome the isolation of being 'different' from typical Japanese convention, and now her intelligence was being embraced by Japan's society everywhere. Now Midori was starting to follow such a legacy, needing to go through the trials of challenging the country's ideology and her fellow classmates' enmity in order to become a successful woman.

It all made sense to Ami now. How could she question Midori's way when her own upbringing was nearly the same? Perhaps her worries were actually stemming from her own experiences so long ago. She was afraid of Midori enduring the same isolation, but now she felt assured that the girl was capable of handling any challenges ahead of her. Midori wasn't like Ami anyway – she was tough, blunt, and clearly wouldn't take any bunk without a fight. Besides, she already met Chibi-Usa and the Yoeda sisters. If anyone could help Midori through the toughest times, it was them.

"All right. I'm sorry for asking you so many questions," Ami bowed her head. "I should have thought about that first."

"It is a legitimate reaction. I'm sure I will have to explain myself to others in a similar fashion in the near future as well. At least you could emphasize with my situation."

"That's fair enough. But if I could give you a piece of advice before you take PallaPalla home…" Ami murmured in a hushed whisper and leaned in next to Midori's ear. "Try not to sound so stuffy. Using so many challenging words in such a curt tone will make you sound like a snob to others."

"Hm… It is a rhythm of speech I have adopted over the years. Breaking such natural quirks will be difficult at best," Midori muttered in an equally quiet voice.

"Try practicing in front of PallaPalla. If she doesn't understand what you're saying, you need to use simpler words and explain things clearly."

"I will attempt to heed your advice."

"No, no, no. Say, 'I understand'."

"… I understand."

With that conversation settled, Midori rejoined with Chibi-Usa and PallaPalla as they bid Shougo good night. The trio left the Mizuno Clinic, and the other two chatted about PallaPalla's studies with Ami. Midori noted that they made sure not to talk about the battle that just occurred. She kept quiet and walked alongside them, thinking about her reasons for willingly entering grade five.

It had nothing to do with her fictional parents being concerned about her. Midori was a total stranger in this world, after all. Rather, she was entering to remain by Chibi-Usa's side – as her silent protector. It was also the reason she was living in the very same apartment complex as her. Midori would continue to watch over Chibi-Usa, witnessing her resolve against Eris while making sure the Silver Crystal was safe.


End file.
